linguine

Frutti di Mare (Fruits of the Sea)

We are lucky to live along the ocean, on the Monterey Bay, and our wild savory kitchen is often filled with the abundance of seafood harvested just a few miles away. We gather mussels from the tide pools and rocks, fish I catch from the Bay, and Dungeness crabs and squid from boats just offshore. So the Frutti di Mare dishes are always changing, we use whatever is available and fresh. This dish is seafood heaven, with mussels, crabs, lobsters, wild caught bay scallops, squid, baby octopus, and our favorite shrimp, Argentinian Red shrimp from the icy waters off Argentina. Served with reduced wine and clam broth, garden fresh tomatoes and tons of garlic, the fruits of the sea are a huge part of the good life.

Mussels Linguine with ‘Nduja Cream Sauce

The flavor combo of spicy pork with steamed mussels is a marriage made in umami heaven. ’Nduja is a spreadable pork sausage originally from southern Italy, and is a fantastic flavoring for just about any seafood pasta. You can easily find ‘Nduja online (like Amazon) or at an Italian market. It keeps for a long time in the refrigerator and very little is needed for each dish. When the family gathers for holidays and special events, we often harvest our own wild mussels along the Pacific coast, and the hunt becomes a joyful raucous adventure for everyone, including our little ones. When timed properly with low tides, it’s great fun… we just always keep one eye out for the occasional big wave.

Seafood in Saffron Broth with Coconut Cream, Sausage and Vermicelli

For a long time, we have been passionate lovers of the fusion cuisine that spreads out from the South of India, across the Malaysian Islands, and is greatly influenced by nearby Thailand and Vietnam.  Combining the coconut cream, saffron and warm aromatic spices of Southern India, the lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaves, tomatoes and vermicelli of Malaysia and Thailand, to the pork sausage and umami fish sauce of Vietnam, this amazing feast is one to cherish for your own wild savory kitchen.