Spaghetti with Swordfish, Fennel, and Pomegranate

Named “Iutara”, finalist dish of Messintavola 2024.
This dish encapsulates the scents and flavors of my land and sea.
In this event, we could only use 5 ingredients apart from pasta and prepare it in 30 minutes.
I started by processing the swordfish, preparing a tartare with a small part, and chopping the second.
Then, I extracted the pomegranate juice, where I marinated the previously frozen raw swordfish part before proceeding to the cooked part of the dish.
Join me in this culinary adventure.

Here are the other dishes presented at Messintavola:

Spaghetti with Swordfish, Fennel, and Pomegranate

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 4
Cooking methods: Stove
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Region: Sicily
Seasonality: All seasons

572.59 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 572.59 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 33.87 (g) of which sugars 3.82 (g)
Proteins 30.83 (g)
Fat 34.63 (g) of which saturated 5.38 (g)of which unsaturated 11.81 (g)
Fibers 4.16 (g)
Sodium 545.79 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA^* and FoodData Central^** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.

^* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ^** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov

Ingredients

Let’s go shopping

9 oz square spaghetti
1 pomegranate (only the filtered juice)
5 oz swordfish (lean part from the back, frozen)
to taste salt
to taste pepper
to taste wild fennel (finely chopped)
10 oz swordfish (fatty part from the neck or near the tail)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
to taste extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch chopped parsley
2 ladles water (pasta cooking water)
to taste salt
to taste pepper
to taste wild fennel (chopped)
1.8 oz chopped almonds
2.1 oz breadcrumbs (seasoned Sicilian style, see my recipe)
to taste wild fennel (chopped)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.4 oz pomegranate (only the seeds)

Spaghetti with Swordfish, Fennel, and Pomegranate

Tools

What we need to make the

1 Citrus Juicer
1 Strainer
1 Bowl
3 Knives
1 Cutting Board
2 Pans
1 Pot
1 Tongs

Steps

Let’s go into the kitchen

A good dish begins with a good choice of raw materials.
Make sure the fish is fresh.
Extract the juice from the pomegranate, which we will then filter and set aside in a bowl. For this operation, you can use a citrus juicer, a blender, or the Thermomix.
Next, we move on to the fish part that will form the tartare, cleaning it by removing the skin and central bone.
Then, I place it on the cutting board and chop it with a knife.
Transfer the product to the bowl with the pomegranate juice and adjust with salt, pepper, and chopped fennel. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Meanwhile, I can put the pasta water on the stove.
Chop the fattier part of the swordfish with a knife and proceed to cook the seasoning.
In a pan, I make the classic garlic, oil, and parsley stalks, sautéing for a few moments without the garlic becoming dark.
and I add the fish mince.
Mix well and sear until it whitens.
Then it’s time to add the chopped fennel, salt, pepper, and 2 ladles of pasta water.
Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, I put the breadcrumbs and chopped almonds in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and salt and let them toast, stirring.
Throw the pasta
I deseed the pomegranate which I need for plating. I strain the swordfish tartare with a sieve.
And, as soon as the pasta is al dente, I take it with tongs without draining it and place it in the pan with the fish and mix it.
If necessary, add a bit of pasta cooking water. Not too much.
Finally, I add half of the toasted breadcrumbs.
Plate by placing the spaghetti underneath, the bread and almond crumble, and on top, some quenelles of marinated swordfish tartare and pomegranate seeds all around.
Here you have Spaghetti with Swordfish, Fennel, and Pomegranate “Iutara”