Colorful Pasta with White Fish: Fusilli with Fish Sauce

Name: Pasta with White Fish: Fusilli Tricolore with Fish Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: White fish (fillet) 250 g; Onion 1; Garlic 1 clove; Olive oil 3 tbsp; Flour 0.5 tsp; Water or dry white wine 3-4 tbsp; Dried Mediterranean herbs 0.5 tsp; Ground nutmeg a pinch; Salt to taste; Fusilli tricolore pasta 250 g; Water for cooking the pasta 2.5 l; Salt for cooking the pasta 18 g (7 g per 1 l of water); Fresh herbs 1 sprig per serving

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30 mins

Pasta with fish is a wonderful dish, simple and delicious. Italy’s “boot” is washed by many seas, which is why Italian cuisine has so many fish dishes. Pasta with fish is by no means rare in Italy.

Historically, people in the southern regions focused more on farming than on fishing. They say that in Puglia there are even areas where fish is not eaten at all, such as the province of Foggia, where people prefer raising livestock. But Italy’s coastal regions are famous for tasty seafood and fish dishes.

Considering that pasta is the most Italian dish of all, it would be naive to assume there are no old, traditional fish recipes, for example pasta with fish or pasta with salmon.

After a good deal of searching, I came to the conclusion that there are many such recipes, but most of them are built around sea fish. The complexity of the sauces also puts people off trying them.

Seafood pasta,, bacon pasta or pasta carbonara are classics, while pasta with fish is more of an improvisation.

This is a simple but very tasty white fish sauce served with colorful Italian fusilli tricolore pasta. Fusilli tricolore repeats the colors of the Italian flag: green spinach, white flour, red tomatoes. The dish takes no special skill and little time, since fish cooks very quickly.

More with white fish

Grilled Tilapia Fillet with Vegetable Side

45 min

Fish in Marinade

5 h

Tender Cod and Potato Fish Cakes with Blue Cheese Sauce

1 h

Pike or Cod Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

45 min

Fried Pollock

30 min

More white fish recipes

Ingredients

2 servings

For the fish sauce
White fish (fillet) 250 g
Onion 1
Garlic 1 clove
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Flour 0.5 tsp
Water or dry white wine 3-4 tbsp
Dried Mediterranean herbs 0.5 tsp
Ground nutmeg a pinch
Salt to taste
For the pasta
Fusilli tricolore pasta 250 g
Water for cooking the pasta 2.5 l
Salt for cooking the pasta 18 g (7 g per 1 l of water)
For serving
Fresh herbs 1 sprig per serving

Step-by-step recipe

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How to make the fish sauce

“White fish” always means very different species. Here it is bream, roach and white bream; sometimes pike perch or carp are called white fish too. I think white fish most likely just means not “red” fish like pink salmon, salmon and trout, which are the best fish, but any available fish with light flesh. Pasta with fish can be made with any fish, preferably one with as few small bones as possible. Cod fillet, sea bass and river pike perch all work great. I think any sea fish will do.
Thaw the white fish fillet and cut it into thin strips, across the fillet.
Flavor the oil. Heat 3 tbsp of your best olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry a peeled, flattened garlic clove in it. As soon as the garlic starts to brown, throw it away. The garlic’s job is just to flavor the olive oil a little.
Peel the onion and slice it very thinly into strips. Fry the onion in the olive oil for 3-4 mins, until soft and slightly golden.
Add the sliced fillet and fry the fish for 2-3 mins, stirring constantly.
Add salt to taste and a pinch of ground nutmeg. Add a dry mix of Mediterranean herbs: oregano, basil, savory and parsley. The amount is to taste, but 0.5 tsp is not too much. Simmer the fish with the onion under a lid over low heat for 10 mins.
Then remove the lid, sprinkle the fish and onion with flour, stir thoroughly until smooth and add 3-4 tbsp of water or dry white wine. Simmer the fish in the sauce without a lid over low heat for another 3-4 mins, until the sauce thickens.

How to cook the pasta

While the sauce cooks, cook the fusilli tricolore: bring 2.5 l of water with 18 g of salt (7 g per 1 l of water) to a boil over high heat and cook the pasta until done. The cooking time is on the package. Do not overcook the pasta; it should be al dente.
Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and let the water run off.
Toss the cooked pasta with the fish sauce.

Serving

Divide the pasta among plates and garnish with a sprig of fresh herbs. The dish needs no additional ingredients.
Pasta with white fish is served hot only. Cold pasta loses its flavor.

Calories and macros

775 kcal

Serving ≈ 460 g

Protein39 g21% of kcal
Fat24 g28% of kcal
Carbs94 g51% of kcal

100 g171 kcalProtein 8.6 gFat 5.2 gCarbs 20.8 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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