Low-Cost Fish Pasta

To make low-cost fish pasta, start by cleaning the red mullets: cut with the knife under the head and above the tail 1, then pass the blade over the bone along the belly on both sides 2 and finally remove the obtained fillets 3. Do the same on the other side. Ensure that the head and tail remain attached to the central bone and keep the scraps that you will need later for the base.

Trim the fillets 4 and remove the bones with kitchen tweezers, using your fingers to locate them 5. Lastly, cut the cleaned fillets into chunks 6.

Move on to cleaning the mantis shrimp: with a pair of scissors, cut the ends of the tail to form a triangle 7, then make cuts along the sides 8 and remove the shell 9.

Extract the flesh, taking care to leave it whole 10, and keep the scraps aside. Now you can prepare the base: clean the spring onion and cut it into chunks 11, then cut the cherry tomatoes in half 12.

In a pot, pour a drizzle of oil, the spring onion, and the cherry tomatoes 13, then add the tomato paste and toast over high heat for a few minutes 14. At this point, add the red mullet and mantis shrimp scraps that you set aside 15. Toast for another 3-5 minutes over high heat, crushing the scraps well with a ladle to release all the juices.

When it begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, deglaze with the white wine 16 and scrape the bottom well with the ladle. Wait until the alcohol evaporates completely, then add ice and cold water and lower the heat: the drop in temperature will allow the flavors to be extracted better 17. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes, taking care to remove any foam that may surface due to impurities. Meanwhile, take care of the other fish by removing the ends of the sardines and anchovies, already cleaned and opened like a book 18.

Cut the anchovies 19 and sardines into chunks the same size as the red mullets 20 and set aside 21.

After the base has cooked 22, strain it through a sieve lined with wet paper towel (or cheesecloth) to remove all residues 23. Keep the base aside 24 and bring a pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta.

To prepare the sauce, cut the smaller cherry tomatoes in half and the larger ones into quarters 25. In a saucepan, sauté a crushed garlic clove and a chili pepper with a drizzle of oil 26, then add the cherry tomatoes 27.

Sauté over high heat, then add the olives 28. When the cherry tomatoes begin to wilt, pour in the base 29 and continue cooking to reduce it further 30.

Meanwhile, the water will have come to a boil, so salt it and add the spaghetti 31. Drain the spaghetti 4 minutes before the end of the cooking time and transfer them to the pan with the sauce 32. Finish cooking the pasta in the pan, using a ladle of its water 33.

After a couple of minutes, add the sardines, anchovies 34, and red mullets 35. At the end of cooking, add the mantis shrimp, which will cook in a very short time 36.

Remove the pan from the heat and scent with chopped parsley 37, then toss the pasta by pouring oil while mixing; in this way, it will be shiny and creamy 38. Plate and serve your low-cost fish pasta immediately 39!