Spicy Alaska Seafood Fregola
Ingredients:
For the Pasta:
4oz Crab Meat, shredded
8oz Alaska Smokehouse Smoked Salmon, liquid reserved, skin removed, and flaked
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
16oz fregola pasta
1 small bunch fennel fronds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6oz seafood stock (can substitute chicken or vegetable)
For the Sofrito:
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1/4 cup chopped white parts of leeks
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped fennel
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
For the Seafood Chili Oil:
4oz smoked salmon liquid mixed with olive oil
2 red Fresno chilis
1 jalapeno
3 Calabrian chilis
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Black Pepper to taste
Procedure:
To make the Seafood Chili Oil, take the liquid from the smoked salmon and measure it.
If it comes to 4oz, no olive oil is needed, and you can discard any extra.
If it is less than 4oz, add olive oil until you have 4oz of liquid.
Finely chop the chili peppers, then add them to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper, then cover with the smoked salmon oil and set aside for at least 1 hour.
To make the Sofrito, finely dice all the vegetables so they are roughly the same size as the fregola pasta.
In a medium size saucepan over medium heat, add the extra virgin olive oil and then the diced vegetables.
Cook slowly until translucent, about 8 minutes, then remove from heat and season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.
To make the Fregola, cook the pasta according to the package directions in a pot of salted boiling water.
Reserve a cup of the pasta water, then drain and set aside to cool on a sheet pan.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the extra virgin olive oil and the sofrito and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Now add the fregola and simmer for another minute, then deglaze the pan with the seafood stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
Add in the seafood, then adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and lemon juice.
To serve, divide the fregola between four bowls, then top with the seafood chili oil, lemon zest, and fennel fronds.
