Spaghetti with Red Mullet 'alla Frantoiana'

Spaghetti with red mullet ‘alla frantoiana’ is a refined dish that combines the decisive taste of red mullet with the fragrance of new oil, or “alla frantoiana” oil. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients

• 320 g of spaghetti
• 600 g of red mullets
• 1 glass of white wine
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small chili pepper (optional)
• Fresh parsley to taste
• 400 g of ripe tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Clean the red mullets by removing the head, guts, and scales. Wash them under cold running water and cut them into fillets or leave them whole if you prefer.
2. In a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and add the peeled garlic, letting it brown slightly. If you like, you can add a small chili pepper to give a spicy touch to the dish.
3. Put the red mullet fillets in the pan and sear them quickly on both sides. Deglaze with white wine and let it evaporate.
4. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces after peeling them, or use cherry tomatoes cut in half, and add them to the red mullets. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Let everything cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and the red mullets are cooked.
6. While the sauce is cooking, bring a pot with plenty of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
7. Drain the spaghetti saving some of the cooking water and transfer them to the pan with the red mullet sauce. If the sauce is too dry, add some of the spaghetti cooking water to make it creamy.
8. Stir the spaghetti well to flavor them in the sauce, and if desired, add chopped fresh parsley.
9. Serve the spaghetti hot.

Curiosity

Red mullets are highly appreciated in Mediterranean cuisine for their delicate yet distinct flavor. Furthermore, the expression “alla frantoiana” indicates a preparation that uses first-press extra virgin olive oil, typically fresh and with a more herbaceous and lively flavor compared to the more stabilized over time, therefore ideal for enhancing the flavors of seafood dishes.