You know! I am a seafood lover. I adore all things seafood. Fresh, flavoursome, and it always takes me back to mums kitchen. Trust me when I say, this dish is so easy to prepare and although the ingredients are simple, the flavours are big! I've always said, "You don't need many ingredients when cooking seafood." And that's because it carries so much flavour into what you're cooking it with it, and for this recipe, a simple white wine and tomato sauce is all you really need. Plus, it's a one pot wonder, and we all loves those!
We're lucky that almost all seafood mongers sell pre-prepared seafood marinara mixes, and for great value, too! If you're having a hard time finding a good mix, you can always ask your monger for a little of everything. I have done this many times selecting, a piece of salmon or a few pieces of whiting, that I cut into small pieces at home, 10 prawns, 10 mussels, calamari rings, 5 small baby octopus that I cut in half, and lots of clams (Vongole) in available. This is also a great way to manage what types of seafood you'd like to add to the dish. If you like only prawns and mussels, then grab 500 grams of both! You can adjust this recipe so easily to your seafood preferences.
What wine do I use? When cooking seafood dishes, I always use Sauvignon Blanc. It's versatile with all cooking, flavoursome yet light, and compliments the seafood.
KRITHAROTTO THALASSINON | Seafood Orzo
Mary PolitisIngredients
- 1 kg fresh assorted seafood
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 brown onion chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic chopped
- 120 ml dry white wine
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 150 g tomato passata
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 400 g kritharaki aka orzo pasta
- 1 tbsp vegetable stock paste or 1 stock cube
- 1 L hot water plus more when needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Begin by diluting the stock paste or stock cube in the hot water and set aside.
- Place a large deep pan over medium high heat and add olive oil and onions. Constantly stir to sweat off the onions then add the garlic and stir for another minute until fragrant. Add the cherry tomatoes and white wine. Allow the white wine to cook off for approximately 2 minutes.
- Add the kritharaki to the pan and pour in the stock, tomato passata, add the dried oregano, and stir everything well. Allow it to come to a simmer.
- As the kritharaki starts to cook you may need to add some more water. 5 minutes before the kritharaki is ready and has developed a risotto like consistency, add the seafood and stir it through gently as it cooks. Season to taste and garnish with fresh parsley.