Pasta fredda is a summertime staple. Since it’s eaten cold (“fredda”) or at room temperature, it’s the perfect dish to prepare in advance and bring with you to the beach, the park, or simply to your own backyard. Here we’re combining Sicilian sugarello with Piennolo tomatoes, black olives, and capers for a meal with a bold Mediterranean soul. Resist the temptation to eat everything at once. Seriously, it’ll taste even better the next day!
Ingredients
SERVES: 3
TIME: 15 minutes + chilling
- Caserecci, 1/2 bag (250g / 8.8oz)
- Coarse Sea Salt, to taste (for the pasta water)
- Sugarello sott’olio, 1 jar (290g / 10.2 oz)
- Piennolo tomatoes, 1/2 jar (260g / 9.1oz)
- Black olives, 1/2 jar (95g / 3.3oz)
- Capers in salt, 2 tbsp, soaked in water and/or thoroughly rinsed
- Fresh parsley, 1 tbsp, chopped
Preparation
- Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook the caserecci until very al dente, about 6 minutes. The pasta will continue cooking as it cools to room temperature with the other ingredients. If you overcook it, you will end up with a soggy result, so be sure to cook it very al dente!
- Open the sugarello and pour its olive oil into a small cup. Set aside. Remove the fish from the jar onto a plate (chopsticks or narrow tongs are ideal for this, but a fork will also work).
- In a large bowl, combine the piennolo tomatoes, capers, black olives, and about half the sugarello, reserving the larger chunks of fish to mix in with the pasta later on.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain thoroughly and tip it onto the tomato mixture. Add the reserved oil from the jar of sugarello and mix energetically. Gently stir in the remaining fish, then cover with a kitchen towel and allow to come to room temperature before storing in the fridge.
- Serve cold or at room temperature sprinkled with chopped parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil from the jar of black olives.
