OLIVE-OIL-POACHED FISH WITH PASTA

Olive-Oil-Poached Fish With Pasta image

There are no fish I can think of that don't cook nicely slathered in warm olive oil. Here, a mix of several varieties is tossed with pasta, tomato and herbs. How could you go wrong with that?

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories dinner, main course

Time 1h

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

6 oysters
2 large or 4 medium squids, cleaned and cut up
1/2 cup good olive oil, plus some for garnish
4 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
Several sprigs of thyme
1/4 to 1/2 pound striped bass, preferably a strip of belly
1/4 to 1/2 pound halibut
1/4 to 1/2 pound swordfish
2 to 4 scallops
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
20 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Pinch cayenne, optional
1 pound cut pasta, like rigatoni
3/4 cup shredded basil, or more

Steps:

Steam the oysters in a little water, 1/4 inch or less, just until they're easy to open. When they're cool enough to handle, open them and cut the meats in half. Meanwhile, cook the squids in the same liquid just until opaque, less than 2 minutes. Take them out with a slotted spoon and reserve the liquid. Turn off the heat.
Set a big pot of water to boil for the pasta and salt it. In a broad skillet, add the olive oil, garlic and thyme and turn the heat to medium-low. Gently cook all the fish and scallops in the oil, in batches if necessary, flipping and turning as needed. Don't rush and don't worry about browning anything; just cook until each piece is tender, which will be different for each fish, but not more than 10 minutes for any. Do not overcook. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the garlic behind. (Discard the thyme.) Season with salt and pepper and put on a platter with the lemon wedges and chopped parsley. Drizzle with oil.
Add the tomatoes and cayenne to the oil and cook at a lively pace, stirring occasionally, until saucy, 10 to 12 minutes. Start the pasta in the meantime. When the tomatoes are ready, stir in the reserved cooking liquid, oysters and squid and cook a bit longer, another 3 or 4 minutes. Taste and season as needed.
When the pasta is almost tender, drain it and toss it with the sauce and the basil; cook another minute or so until the pasta is ready. Serve the pasta in bowls, and pass plates on the side for the fish.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 469, UnsaturatedFat 3 grams, Carbohydrate 65 grams, Fat 6 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 37 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 726 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams