Recipe by Gennaro Esposito: Mixed Pasta Soup with Crustaceans and Small Rockfish

This dish has its roots in the humble cuisine of fishermen who combined the fish that wasn't marketable with leftover pasta of various shapes, a challenge to cook due to their differing cooking times. Most pasta makers now sell mixed pasta, which is advantageous for consumers as the consistencies are designed for fairly uniform cooking. However, in our restaurant, we don't use pre-mixed pasta but prepare this dish using over 15 different pasta shapes, adding them to the pot according to their cooking times. The secret to cooking mixed pasta is to cook it slightly less than prescribed, borderline raw, as it continues to cook in the serving dish. The freshness of this dish contrasts with the typical briny and slightly bitter taste of Mediterranean rockfish, a result not replicable with Atlantic catch.

Ingredients for 4 Servings

1.5 kg mixed small rockfish (scorpionfish, weever, snapper, gurnard, etc.), gutted and scaled
320g mixed pasta
140g extra virgin olive oil
10g chopped parsley
2 cloves of garlic
1 fresh chili pepper
1 medium squid
1 medium cuttlefish
4 red mullet fillets
4 peeled white shrimp
4 peeled langoustines
4 peeled red prawns
200g light fish broth
120g fresh San Marzano tomatoes, diced
1 bunch of parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

In a medium-sized pot, sauté a garlic clove with half of the chili pepper and 60g of oil. Remove the garlic and chili once golden, add diced tomatoes, salt, parsley, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add broth and all the whole fish, and cook for 20 minutes in a bain-marie (water bath).
Pass the fish through a food mill and then through a chinois (fine sieve), pressing firmly to obtain a base which you'll keep aside.
Shell the shrimp and langoustines, prepare another base with their heads by heating 10g oil and a garlic clove in a pan, sautéing the heads for 2 minutes on high heat.
Salt, then dehydrate in an oven for 25 minutes at 90°C (194°F). Return the pan to the heat, add a ladle of water and 100g of fish broth, cooking for 4 minutes on low heat. Pass through a chinois with a pestle.
In a large pot, heat 80g of oil, a garlic clove, and chili pepper. Sauté and remove once golden. Dice the squid and cuttlefish and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add chopped parsley, remaining fish broth, and the two previously prepared bases.
Bring to a boil and add the mixed pasta. When the pasta is very al dente, remove from heat, adjust salt, pepper, and let rest for about 1 minute.