3 hours ago
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Jason Staudt, executive chef at Melbourne’s iconic Stokehouse, wasn’t always a seafood fan.
“Being from a landlocked city in Calgary, I ate a fair amount of canned and preserved shellfish,” he admits. “It wasn’t until I did my apprenticeship at River Cafe in Calgary that I fell in love with fresh seafood.”
That passion is now on full display in this fan-favourite seafood pasta, served at Stokehouse’s downstairs sibling, Stokehouse Pasta & Bar. After all, who doesn’t love eating seafood by the beach?
Staudt has an easy trick for perfectly tender seafood: Cut the seafood pieces to match the size of the pasta. Then, to prevent overcooking, saute each type of seafood separately for no more than a minute, until they’re just cooked through.
“The key is to work quickly. Have everything ready to go – even having the pasta cooked – before cooking the seafood.”
And why rigatoni instead of spaghetti? “Rigatoni is fork food,” he says. “It’s easy to stab the pasta and seafood together for the perfect flavourful mouthful, every time.”
Staudt has also shared Stokehouse’s versatile sugo recipe. It takes about an hour to cook, but you can substitute store-bought sugo, if you prefer.
Ingredients
300g rigatoni (or any short pasta)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 long red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
100ml dry white wine
200ml good-quality fish stock (from your fishmonger or store-bought)
400ml tomato sugo (see recipe, or use your own)
200g mixed seafood (prawns, calamari and fish)
2 tbsp roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
STOKEHOUSE SUGO (MAKES ABOUT 1 LITRE)
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
small handful fresh parsley leaves
small handful fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 × 400g cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar (optional, to balance acidity)
Method
TO MAKE THE RIGATONI DISH
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni according to the packet instructions until al dente, 10-15 minutes. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
Step 2
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the seafood one type at a time, starting with the prawns, then the calamari, and finally the fish, cooking for 30 seconds to 1 minute each.
Step 3
Add the garlic and chilli, cooking gently until fragrant but not browned. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble over medium-high heat for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol. Add the fish stock and let it reduce slightly, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 4
Stir in the sugo and quickly bring to a simmer, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 5
Add the drained rigatoni directly into the pan, tossing everything together. If the sauce seems too thick, loosen it with a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Step 6
Finish with parsley, toss again, and serve immediately.
<strong>TO MAKE THE STOKEHOUSE SUGO</strong>
Step 1
Place the onion, carrot, garlic, parsley, and basil in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the vegetable mixture and cook gently for 5-7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Step 3
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, rinsing out the cans with a splash of water and adding that, too.
Step 4
Season with salt (and sugar, if needed), and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 5
Once thickened, pass the sugo through a food mill or blend until smooth if you prefer a silky texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
