Paccheri with Swordfish, Pistachio, Eggplant and Smoked Ricotta
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Story of the Dish
This dish tastes like southern Italy. Swordfish, eggplant, pistachio, cherry tomatoes and smoked ricotta create a powerful Mediterranean flavor. It has Sicilian character: sweet seafood, fried eggplant, nutty pistachio and salty smoked cheese.
Paccheri are perfect because they hold sauce and pieces of swordfish inside their shape.
Ingredients
Serves 4
400 g paccheri / about 14 oz
350 g swordfish, diced / about 12 oz
1 medium eggplant, diced
200 g cherry tomatoes / about 1 1/2 cups
50 g pistachios, chopped / about 1/3 cup
60 g smoked ricotta, grated / about 1/2 cup
1 garlic clove
80 ml extra virgin olive oil / about 1/3 cup
Fresh basil or mint
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Preparation
Dice the eggplant and sauté it in olive oil until golden. Remove and set aside.
In a wide pan, warm olive oil with garlic. Add the diced swordfish and sear it quickly. It should color outside but remain juicy.
Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for about 8 minutes, until they release their juice. Return the eggplant to the pan.
Cook the paccheri in salted boiling water, but pull them out 3 minutes before al dente. Save plenty of pasta water.
Transfer the paccheri into the pan with the sauce. Add pasta water little by little and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Toss carefully so the paccheri do not break.
When the sauce has reduced and coated the pasta, add chopped pistachios and fresh herbs.
Plate and finish with smoked ricotta.
Wine Pairing
Pair with Etna Bianco or Grillo di Sicilia. Both wines handle seafood, eggplant and smoked ricotta beautifully.
Chef Tips
Swordfish dries out fast, so sear it quickly and let the pasta finish inside the sauce. The paccheri must be risottati in the pan so the tomato, eggplant and fish become one sauce.
Chef Gianluca Deiana
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