This straightforward seafood squid ink pasta recipe is made with savory black noodles, plump prawns, and tender squid rings tossed in a wealthy, velvety tom yum cream sauce. It’s a daring, comforting fusion dinner that’s fast, creamy, and prepared in lower than half-hour complete.

Squid Ink Pasta With Seafood

I not too long ago visited a restaurant in Penang a couple of instances and saved ordering the very same dish as a result of I turned fully hooked on the flavour. Whereas the cafe serves a mixture of every thing from traditional Italian carbonara and risotto to native Malaysian favorites, this specific squid ink pasta with seafood actually stood out to me. It’s an unimaginable Asian fusion creation the place East meets West, combining savory black pasta with a vibrant Thai twist. In contrast to a typical dry pasta, this model is deliberately meant to be extremely saucy and soupy, letting the noodles swim in a flavorful sauce quite than simply being frivolously coated. It was so comforting and distinctive that I knew I needed to recreate it at residence so I might get pleasure from it at any time when the craving hits.

I’ve made this so many instances at residence now, and it’s a great possibility for any day of the week because it cooks so quick. This recipe takes lower than half-hour complete and hits all the fitting notes of candy, bitter, savory, and spicy. Frying the tom yum paste in butter and including a splash of heavy cream is all it takes to construct that wealthy, comforting sauce whereas letting the recent kaffir lime leaves taste the seafood. In case you get pleasure from this saucy fashion of cooking, it’s also possible to take a look at my genuine Tom Yum Soup or my creamy Crimson Curry Shrimp for extra scrumptious methods to make use of these traditional Thai flavors.

Buying Information: Selecting The Proper Pasta

In case you are questioning why I went with squid ink pasta as an alternative of simply common pasta for this dish, it’s all about that distinction. Pouring a vivid orange tom yum sauce over pitch-black noodles seems superb on the plate. Plus, black pasta has a refined trace of pure savoriness that pairs completely with seafood.

If you end up on the lookout for a packet on the retailer, here’s what to remember:

• Search for genuine squid ink: Test the again of the packet to verify cuttlefish or squid ink is combined instantly into the durum wheat semolina. That’s the way you get that deep black colour as an alternative of a gray, dyed look.
• Stick with dried spaghetti: Dried squid ink spaghetti is the simplest to seek out and has an incredible chew that holds up nicely underneath a heavy sauce.
• Simply comply with the packet timing: Prepare dinner the noodles precisely in accordance with the bundle directions till they’re al dente. For this recipe, I ladle the new sauce straight over the plated pasta on the finish, so you don’t want to fret about them cooking additional in a pan.

In case you can’t discover black pasta close by or need some solutions on utilizing common pasta as an alternative, simply take a look at my ‘Simple Substitutions And Swaps’ part under!

Components You’ll Want

• Squid ink pasta
• Tom yum paste
• Prawns
• Squid
• Shrimp Inventory
• Heavy cream
• Fish sauce
• Lime juice
• Kaffir lime leaves

See the recipe card under for all of the ingredient particulars and precise measurements.

Professional Tip #1: Keep away from Pre-Cooked Frozen Seafood
At all times purchase uncooked prawns and recent squid rings. Pre-cooked frozen seafood turns rubbery and dry the second it hits a sizzling pan, whereas uncooked seafood stays plump, juicy, and absorbs the flavors of the sauce a lot better.

Professional Tip #2: Selecting Your Tom Yum Paste
This paste is the flavour spine of the entire dish. I extremely suggest utilizing Mae Pranom model as a result of it offers you that genuine, completely balanced Thai taste with the correct amount of chili paste oil. In case you can’t discover it, Maesri or Pantainorasingh are incredible various manufacturers.

Professional Tip #3: Why I Use Unsalted Butter
As a substitute of utilizing common cooking oil, I take advantage of unsalted butter to fry the tom yum paste. The butter provides a wealthy, comforting depth that mellows out the sharp, fiery warmth and builds a a lot smoother taste base.

Professional Tip #4: Heavy Cream For A Secure Sauce
Thick heavy cream is important for getting that wealthy, velvety consistency. It creates a secure emulsion with the acidic elements that won’t simply break up or curdle underneath warmth, preserving your sauce completely easy.

Professional Tip #5: Selecting Your Fish Sauce
A splash provides the proper salty umami to spherical out the cream sauce. Go for premium manufacturers like Crimson Boat or Megachef for a clear, deep taste that desk salt can’t replicate. Squid Model is one other stable, dependable alternative that works superbly right here.

Professional Tip #6: The Energy Of A Little Sugar
Whereas including sugar is optionally available, I extremely suggest it. It acts as a bridge that balances the sharp, fiery tom yum paste and the tart lime juice, immediately tying all the extraordinary flavors collectively.

Simple Substitutions And Swaps

• The Finest Pasta Options: In case you can’t discover squid ink pasta, use customary linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti. These lengthy cuts maintain the wealthy sauce completely. Keep away from skinny varieties like angel hair pasta, which soften too quick and switch mushy underneath a sizzling, heavy sauce.
• Dairy-Free Coconut Possibility: Change the heavy cream with an equal quantity of full-fat canned coconut cream. This matches the Thai flavors superbly. Use the thick cream from the highest of the can as an alternative of carton coconut milk to maintain the sauce from getting watery.
• Inventory Choices: This recipe requires my home made Shrimp Inventory to construct that deep taste base. In case you want, it’s also possible to swap it out for my straightforward home made Seafood Inventory. Both of my home made choices provides you with the proper wealthy basis.
• Including Extra Seafood: You possibly can simply bulk up the dish by tossing in different styles of seafood alongside the prawns and squid. Cleaned inexperienced mussels, complete clams, or plump sea scallops make incredible additions. Simply throw them into the pan similtaneously the prawns so every thing cooks by way of completely collectively.
• Changing The Contemporary Aromatics: In case you can’t monitor down recent kaffir lime leaves, use the recent zest of a daily lime as a backup. It lacks that deep natural be aware, nevertheless it nonetheless provides an incredible burst of vivid citrus oils proper earlier than serving.

Often Requested Questions

What To Serve With This Recipe

For a simple and healthful weeknight dinner, I like to recommend the next recipes:

I hope you get pleasure from this put up as a lot as I do. In case you strive my recipe, please depart a remark and contemplate giving it a 5-star score. For easier and scrumptious recipes, discover my Recipe Index, and keep up to date by subscribing to my publication and following me on Fb, Pinterest, and Instagram for brand spanking new updates.

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