Delightful lunch for your summer

This pasta has a delicate lemon flavor that is delicious topped with grilled seafood such as shrimp as shown in the picture below. It is also a perfect first course without the shrimp, served before a second course of seafood. 

I have used lemon thyme as my fresh herb of choice in this recipe, but fresh parsley or basil would work in place of the thyme as well. What is best about this pasta is that it can easily be prepared in less than 30 minutes!

 

1 Pound Long Pasta-Either Dried Spaghetti or Fresh Fettuccine

1/4 Cup Fresh Lemon Thyme (Or Fresh Parsley or Basil)

1 Medium Cloves Of Garlic, Minced

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Zest & Juice Of Two Lemons

1/2 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts

Salt & Pepper

 

Cracked Black Pepper

3 to 4 Grilled Shrimp Per Person (Optional)

 

Mix together the oil, garlic, thyme, lemon zest and juice, and season with salt and pepper.

Add the toasted pine nuts, stir well, and allow to sit for a couple of hours for the flavors to meld.

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is al dente.

Just before draining, remove a small cup of pasta water.

Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot with the lemon sauce over high heat.

Add a little pasta water to prevent it from drying out.

As soon as it is piping hot, remove from the heat and serve.

Scoop the pine nuts off the bottom of the pot to top the pasta, and serve topped with grilled shrimp if using.

Offer additional cracked black pepper if desired.

 

Serves 4.

 

 

One of our favorite seafood choices is whole fish, about one pound each that we either roast in the oven or cook on the grill as I do in this recipe. 

To prepare my fish for the grill, I simply have them cleaned by my fish monger, wash them, dry them and stuff them with lemon slices and a sprig of oregano. 

I then wrap my fish in fig leaves and tie the leaves in place with kitchen twine. If you do not have access to fig leaves, grape leaves would also work. The leaves just help to steam the fish and keep the moisture in. 

Once cooked, I simply snip off the string and peel away the leaves to reveal the delicate flesh of the fish. I serve my fish with either lemon wedges, or the piquant green sauce in the recipe below. 

 

4 Whole Sea Bass About 1 Pound Each

2 Thinly Sliced Lemons

4 Small Springs Fresh Oregano

8 Large Fig or Grape Leaves

Kitchen Twine

 

Juice From 1 Large Lemon

1 Small Garlic Clove, Peeled

2 Tablespoons Fresh Oregano

2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley

1 Tablespoon Capers

1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

 

Wash and dry the fish, then layer lemon slices inside along with one sprig or oregano per fish.

Wrap the leaves in place around the fish as shown in the photos, and tie in place with kitchen twine.

Preheat your grill, either charcoal or gass to medium heat. Place the fish on the grill, and cook 10 minutes each side.

While the fish is cooking, place the sauce ingredients into a bowl and use an immersion blender or hand wand to blend. Once cooked, trim the twine and peel off the leaves.

Carefully lift off the skin on one side of each fish, and lift out the fillet onto a plate. Turn the fish over, and do the same thing on the other side, discarding the spine and skin.

Continue to clean each fish in the same manner. Spoon some of the sauce over each plate and serve immediately.

 

Serves 4.