One Pot Seafood Aglio Olio 蒜油海鲜意粉一锅煮

There seem to be a mega trend towards one pot cooking. I see more people cooking one pot pastas. Yes! Without pre-boiling the dry pastas and the results seem convincing (especially if I have fewer cookware to wash up after cooking)! I cooked Aglio Olio countless times using the traditional method by boiling pastas separately. Although my husband had been raving about the previous versions, somehow, I had a tinge that the dish had not been perfected. Simply, if I did not pay enough attention, the taste of ingredients would not integrate seamlessly with the pasta. Therefore, I was more than happy to try on this One Pot Seafood Aglio Olio 蒜油海鲜意粉一锅煮 when I finally caught hold of my new cast iron Dutch oven.

And the result - Amazing!

Ingredients (enough for 4 pax) :

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400 gm of angel hair (or spaghetti)
400 gm of mixed seafood (pre-marinate with a pinch of salt and sugar)
1/2 cup of basil leaves (finely chopped)
2 pcs of chili padi (sliced)
8-10 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
2 mid-to-large sized onions (finely chopped)
16 pcs of cherry tomatoes (cut to halves)
5-6 pcs of soft boiled anchovies (not the dried fried ones)(available at selected supermarkets)
1 tsp grounded black pepper
1.5 cup white wine
1.5 cup hot water
1/2 pc anchovies stock cube
olive oil or cooking oil

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon)

Tip : Use Angel Hair or a finer pasta for better result as it would be easier for the pasta to be cooked and absorb tastes than thicker pastas.

Method :

Heat olive/cooking oil. Use medium heat.

Lightly stir fry half portion of finely chopped garlic and onions.

Add mixed seafood.

Lightly stir fry till 80% cooked. By then, we should see seafood broth at the base of the pot.

Scoop up the mixed seafood and set aside. Leave the broth in the pot.

Add the other half portion of finely chopped onions and garlic.

Add anchovies and 1/2 pc of anchovies stock cube.

Toss in cherry tomatoes.

Add angel hair or spaghetti (No need to pre-boil pasta beforehand. I used spaghetti here but realized that angel hair would yield better texture and taste if I choose not to pre-boil the pasta first.).

Add 1.5 cup of white wine and 1.5 cup of hot water.

Cover lid and allow it to simmer in low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes (depending on the type of pasta used).

When time's due, we could see the pasta cooked and broth being cooked down. Rather, the broth, together with the natural freshness and tastes have been totally immersed in the pasta.