Mixed Seafood Rigatoni

This is a really easy recipe to make, since just about all the ingredients are pre-packaged and ready for use. Mixed seafood and Italian sausage are the main ingredients in this pasta dish, which produces the tasty seafood and meat combination commonly found in Chinese dishes. The Italian sausage is available hot or mild in a single package, so unless you buy the individual sausage package (in which case the casings should be removed), all you do is open the package. As is usual for my pasta recipes, I use a wok to stir fry the pasta before adding the sauce. Making a pasta dish is no different to me than making chow mein – the techniques are the same, I’m just using a different sauce to make the noodles.

Mixed seafood is available in the frozen section at your local Asian market. The packaged mixture is inexpensive and intended for use in a hot pot or soup, but after thawing can easily be used in stir fries or, in this case, pasta dishes. Depending upon the brand available, the mix of seafood varies. The usual mix has at the very least fake crab meat, squid, and shrimp. Additionally oysters, clams, octopus, and other seafood is in the mix depending upon the manufacturer. So compare the ingredients of the brands available at your local Asian market before buying a package.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	454 g.	One package frozen mixed seafood, thawed
1 lb.	454 g.	One package hot or mild Italian sausage
1	1	Large onion, cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
½ cup	125 ml.	Fresh basil leaves (from one package, about 10 stalks)
24	24	Small whole button mushrooms
1 lb.	454 g.	One package rigatoni or your favorite pasta

 

Sauce Ingredients

6 cloves	6 cloves	Garlic, sliced into thin pieces
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup	250 ml.	One bottle of your favorite pasta sauce
1-2 Tbs.	15-30 ml.	White wine to deglaze the wok
½ cup	125 ml.	Pasta cooking liquid
		Extra virgin olive oil

 

Equipment

		Colander
8 qt.	7.5 L.	Pot
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

1. Thaw the package of mixed seafood in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight. Take the mixed seafood out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Hot or mild Italian sausage can be used to make this dish. If using Italian sausage with casings, remove the casings from the sausages.
3. Remove the tough outer skin of the onion and cut in half lengthwise. Cut each onion half into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
4. Clean the small button mushrooms. Small button mushrooms are used whole in this dish, so there’s no need to cut the mushrooms into pieces.
5. Wash and remove the leaves from the basil stalks. My local Asian market packages fresh basil in one-use packages, about 10 stalks, so use all the leaves from the package.
6. Slice the garlic into thin pieces and put into a small bowl. Place the red chili flakes into the bowl with the garlic. The amount of garlic and red chili flakes to use in this dish depends upon personal taste, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
7. Open the container of marinara or pasta sauce.

Cooking Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in a pot according to the instructions on the package and until the pasta are almost al dente. The pasta should be slightly undercooked and will become al dente when cooked later in the wok. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside. If ready-made or fresh pasta are used, “fluff” the pasta to separate them (i.e. you don’t want put a single mass of pasta into the wok).
2. Heat a wok or pan over medium- to medium-high heat before adding oil. Add the Italian sausage to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown, breaking up any chunks that form. Transfer the sausage to a bowl.
3. Reheat the wok over medium- to medium-high heat before adding more oil and then the onion. Stir fry the onion to brown them and then transfer them to the bowl with the sausage.
4. Reheat the wok over medium- to medium-high heat before adding more oil and then the mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms to brown them and then transfer them to the bowl with the sausage.
5. Reheat the wok over medium- to medium-high heat before adding oil and then the bowl with the garlic and red pepper flakes. Quickly stir fry the garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant before adding more oil and then the mixed seafood. Stir fry all the ingredients together and then add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Remove the contents of the wok to the bowl with the sausage.
6. Reheat the wok over medium- to medium-high heat before adding more oil and then the pasta. Stir fry the pasta before adding the contents of the bowl with the sausage. Stir fry the ingredients together before adding the basil leaves, pasta liquid, and pasta sauce. The amount of pasta sauce can be tailored to your preference, so the amount of pasta sauce can be increased or decreased. Mix the ingredients in the wok together before putting the cooked ingredients in a serving plate. Serve with Garlic Garlic Bread.