Spaghetti with Calamari and Tropea Onion

Spaghetti with calamari and Tropea onion is a dish that brings together the freshness of the sea with the sweet and intense taste of one of Italy’s most prized onions, the Tropea Calabrese IGP onion. Here is the recipe to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 320 g of spaghetti
• 400 g of fresh calamari, cleaned and cut into rings
• 1 large Tropea onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Fresh parsley to taste
• 200 ml of white wine
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning the calamari, if they haven’t already been cleaned. Remove the insides and the outer skin, then cut them into rings or strips.
2. Thinly slice the Tropea onion and chop the garlic.
3. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and add the chopped garlic. Sauté briefly without browning it.
4. Add the sliced Tropea onion and sauté until it becomes translucent.
5. Add the calamari rings to the pan, stir, and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Deglaze with white wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate on a high heat.
7. Lower the heat and continue cooking for about 10-15 minutes, or until the calamari is tender. Season with salt and pepper.
8. In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
9. Drain the pasta while reserving some of the cooking water and transfer it to the pan with the calamari and onion sauce.
10. Toss the spaghetti in the pan with the sauce, adding some of the cooking water if necessary to make the sauce lighter and creamier.
11. Plate and finish with chopped fresh parsley.

Curiosity

The Tropea onion is particularly known for its sweet taste and for the beneficial properties attributed to this vegetable, such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The Tropea onion pairs perfectly with the taste of calamari, creating a contrast of flavors that enhances both ingredients.