Bonito pasta

Ingredients

• 1 kg bonito fish, cleaned
• Salt and black pepper
• 500 g casarecce pasta (or rigatoni)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 – 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves kept separate
• 1 cup (250 ml) fish stock
• 500 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• Mixed kalamata and green olives, pitted, halved
• 2 tbsp baby capers
• 1 long red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare the bonito fish by removing the fillets and bones, then roughly dice the flesh. Set aside.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, then drain.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and parsley stems (reserve the leaves to garnish!) and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Remove the parsley stems and discard. Add the fish stock, tomatoes, olives, capers and chilli and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the diced bonito to the sauce, stirring to combine, until almost cooked.
4. Add the drained pasta to the sauce, tossing well to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Roughly chop the flat-leaf parsley leaves. Divide the bonito pasta between bowls, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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