Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (with Seafood)

Aglio e Olio is basically garlic and oil in Italian. I personally think this is a healthier version among Italian pasta sauces besides of course tomato and pesto.

Aglio olio is actually a type of basic sauce, hence making this a very versatile base for cooking pasta. You can do a healthy vegetarian version with fresh, sundried or crushed tomatos, eggplants and/or mushrooms. Or you can go for a more expensive version with your favourite seafood. It can be just big prawns or mixture of prawns, mussels, squids, scallops, oysters etc. Some brandy or white wine and chicken stock can be added for extra flavours.

Serve 3-4

450gm of cooked spaghetti*

5-6 tbsp of olive oil

4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced

1/2 teasp of dried chilli flakes (optional but I think it is better with)

3-4 tbsp of white wine or brandy

50 ml of water + 1 teasp of chicken stock
some parsley flake for garnishing

Salt and pepper to taste

Seafood:

6-8 pcs of half shelled mussels, de-bearbed and cleaned

8-10 pcs of oyster meat, cleaned off hard shells if any

8-10 pcs of medium or large prawns, deshelled and deveined, leaving head and tail on.

1 pc of squids, cut into 6-8 rings

scallops, fishes (optional)

OR

16 - 20 pcs of large prawns, deshelled and deveined leaving head and tail on

*This is the weight after cooking in boiling water and drain. On average per serving per person is about 150 gm if you are only eating this as a main dish. Please reduce portion if you are serving other things in a party environment.

1) Cook spaghetti and coat with some olive oil to prevent them from sticking. Set aside.

2) In a large pan, heat up olive oil and saute garlic till fragrant and light brown (not burnt).

3) Add seafood like mussels and scallops first, followed by squids, oysters, prawns and fishes. Continue sauteing. When seafood is almost cooked, add wine and chicken stock. Let it simmer for a little. But please don't overcook seafood.

4) Add spaghetti and dried chilli flakes and toss till all noodles are coated with sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5) Dish out and serve individually. Garnish with some parsley flakes.