Calamarata with Swordfish, Strawberries and Zucchini: the Art of Zero-Waste Cooking
Very often my best recipes are born from a practical need: not wasting anything. Some think cooking with ingredients leftover from other dishes is a compromise, but my experience says the exact opposite. The most successful plates are those born from a creative impulse, combining flavors we would normally never pair.
This Calamarata with swordfish and strawberries is the perfect example of how creativity can transform surpluses into a first course that is fresh, intoxicating and surprising.
A meeting of Sicilian flavors: sea, land and fruit
The secret of this recipe lies in the balance of the ingredients: the scent of the sea released by the swordfish, the sweetness of the Pachino cherry tomatoes, an excellence of the Sicilian territory, and the delicate creamy touch of the first seasonal zucchinis! Finally, the unique fragrance of the strawberries, juicy and meaty, closes the circle with an unexpected note of freshness.
I had swordfish and strawberries initially bought for a tart: seeing them converse on the plate was immense satisfaction. If you love unusual pairings and are looking for a “gem” to amaze your guests with a few simple steps at the stove, you cannot miss this recipe.
Other unusual first-course recipes with fresh, fruity notes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Cooking time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring
Ingredients
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- 10 oz calamarata (short pasta)
- 2 slices swordfish (about 7 oz (200 g) each)
- 2 zucchini
- 11 oz cherry tomatoes (Pachino) (about 2 cups)
- 5 oz strawberries (about 1 cup (halved))
- 5 fl oz white wine
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 bunch parsley
- 3 leaves mint (mentuccia)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste chili pepper
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Lid
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Skimmer
- 1 Immersion blender
Steps
Start by washing the vegetables under running water, then finely chop the parsley, trim the zucchini and cut them into small cubes, and halve the Pachino cherry tomatoes.
Rinse the swordfish under running water as well, pat the slices dry with paper towels, remove the outer skin and the central bone, and cut into uniform cubes.
In a nonstick pan, brown one garlic clove with 3 tbsp of oil, a whole sprig of rosemary, the mint torn with your hands and the chili pepper. Add the diced zucchini and add a little water if needed. Cover with a lid and let it simmer over low heat for approx. 5 min.
Adjust salt and turn off the heat.
Remove the garlic and the rosemary sprig and transfer the zucchinis to a beaker, leaving some aside for the swordfish sauce. Drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil and blend in short bursts until you obtain a creamy mixture; set it aside.
In the same pan where you cooked the zucchinis, brown a second garlic clove with another 3 tbsp of oil.
Add the cherry tomatoes, cook over low heat with a lid for 5 min, then add the diced swordfish.
Deglaze with the white wine, raise the heat briefly to evaporate the alcohol, and let it flavor for another 5 min.
Meanwhile, wash and hull the strawberries. Halve them and add them to the swordfish sauce only 2 min before turning off the heat to keep their aroma intact without turning them into a “jam”.
Also add the zucchinis you had set aside and adjust salt.
Turn off the heat and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Meanwhile, cook the calamarata in plenty of salted water, slightly al dente compared to the times indicated on your package.
Drain with a skimmer and transfer to the pan where you cooked the sauce. Turn the heat back on, toss to combine and let it flavor for another 2 min.
Serve the calamarata on a bed of zucchini cream and finish with a sprinkle of extra parsley.
And voilà… the calamarata with swordfish and strawberries in zucchini cream is ready to enjoy!
Enjoy! from La Cucina di FeFè!
Tips, notes, variations and suggestions
🟣To enhance this gourmet first course, I recommend pairing it with a fresh white wine with intense notes of citrus, honey and orange blossom: the non plus ultra for a complete sensory experience.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
1. Which other pasta shape can I use instead of Calamarata?
If you don’t have calamarata, I recommend a short pasta shape that holds the sauce well, such as paccheri, mezze maniche or artisanal large fusilli (fusilloni).
2. Don’t the strawberries make the dish too sweet?
No, if balanced correctly. The slight acidity of the strawberries and the savoriness of the swordfish create a harmonious contrast. The trick is to add them with the heat off or in the last moments of the sauté to keep their aroma intact without turning them into “jam”.
3. What can I use instead of strawberries?
If you want to keep the original spirit of the dish — made of contrasts between the savoriness of the fish and a fresh, sweet-and-sour fruity note — you can replace strawberries with peaches or nectarines with a fleshy consistency similar to strawberries. Cut them into small cubes and add them at the last moment; they pair wonderfully with swordfish and zucchini. For a more exotic touch, mango (not overly ripe) also works well with seafood. Finally, pineapple, quickly seared with the swordfish in the pan, evokes fusion cuisine flavors.
