Trofie with swordfish
Trofie con pesca spada e pomodori
I have used a traditional pesce spada recipe from Messina in Sicily to make a primo piatto of trofie with swordfish.
10-20 years ago you would see the characteristic long, flat bill and majestic body of the swordfish outside every fishmonger in Southern Italy. These days it’s a rare sight, but you can still buy steaks of swordfish. Especially, around the Strait of Messina, where the majestic fish are traditionally caught with harpoons from wooden boats called felucas or luntre.
The meat of swordfish is oily and relatively firm, which makes it suitable for grilling or cooking in sauce. This pasta with swordfish recipe is supposedly from Messina, where they serve the fish in a classic, no frills Italian tomato sauce.
Ingredients
For the pasta
300 g flour type 00
150 ml water
For the swordfish sauce
4 tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
300 g swordfish fillet
100 ml white wine
Fresh parsley
Fresh mint
Olive oil, salt and pepper
Preparation
Start by preparing the pasta or use a good ready made short pasta.
Make a volcano of flour on a clean table top
Pour half the water into the hole and use a fork to incorporate the flour.
Gradually add more water and knead well with the heel of your hand until you have a shiny elastic dough.
Wrap the pasta in cling film and let it rests in the fridge for 30 minutes or more.
Roll the pasta through a pasta machine at least ten times
Cut or roll the pasta in thin strips of 3-4 cm and twist them to form trofies
Skin the tomatoes and cut them in quarters.
Heat up olive oil in a casserole and fry tomatoes, with garlic and chopped parsley.
Adjust the taste with salt and pepper
Remove the skin from the swordfish fillet and dice the fish.
Add the swordfish to the tomato sauce along with white wine and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the trofie pasta in boiling salted water.
Drain the pasta and serve the trofie with swordfish in tomato sauce.
It’s the small details like the addition of white wine and herbs that separate trofie with swordfish from swordfish bocconcini.
Italian Notes
Italian Notes
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