Tagliolini allo Scoglio

Allo scoglio translates as ‘on the rocks’, meaning this pasta is made with all that amazing seafood that grows or lives on the rocks — mussels, clams, crab — the perfect dish for a restaurant perched high above the ocean rocks like Icebergs.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

300g baby octopus, cleaned

200ml fish stock

7 garlic cloves

1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley

300g mussels, rinsed and cleaned

100ml extra-virgin olive oil

150ml white wine

2 chillies, deseeded and chopped

½ bunch basil, leaves picked

400g can cherry tomatoes

5 anchovy fillets, chopped

1 whole blue swimmer crab, halved and cleaned

200g calamari, cleaned and sliced into thin rings

200g vongole (clams)

2 large prawns, deveined and cleaned

2 large scampi, halved and cleaned

1 punnet fresh ripe cherry tomatoes, halved

300g fresh egg tagliolini (homemade or store-bought)

METHOD

1 Place the octopus, a splash of the fish stock, 1 garlic clove, crushed, and a few parsley stalks in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook for 30 minutes or until tender, then cut each piece into quarters and set aside, discarding garlic and parsley.

2 To prepare the mussels, heat 30ml of the oil, 1 garlic clove, crushed, and a few stalks of parsley in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add mussels and 100ml of the wine and cook until mussels pop open. Strain and set mussels aside, removing the top shell.

3 In a small saucepan, heat 50ml of the oil, 2 sliced garlic cloves, half the chilli and a few basil leaves. Add canned cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt and cook for 20 minutes, then set aside.

4 In a very large saucepan, heat 3 finely grated garlic cloves, the remaining chilli, anchovy and remaining parsley over medium-high heat.

5 Add crab, calamari and remaining wine and cook until wine has evaporated. Add remaining fish stock, cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes.

6 Add vongole, octopus, the prepared cherry tomato sauce, prawn and scampi. Cover with a lid and cook for a further 5 minutes.

7 Remove crab, prawns and scampi and set aside. 

8 Add mussels and halved cherry tomatoes, and bring to the boil. Season to taste.

9 Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add tagliolini and cook for 3 minutes if using fresh pasta or according to packet instructions. Strain and add to the sauce to finish cooking.

10 Divide between serving bowls and top with the seafood and chopped basil leaves. Drizzle with oil to serve.

This is an edited extract from Icebergs Dining Room and Bar 2002-2022 by Maurice Terzini (Simon & Schuster, $100). Photography: Jason Loucas.