Sardinian Fregola with Seafood

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the calamari: separate the head with tentacles from the mantle, remove the cartilage pen and skin. Cut the mantle into rings about 2 cm thick. Separate the tentacles from the head, open them outward, push out the center, and remove the beak. Rinse everything under running water.

2. 2

   Clean the mussels: scrape the shells with the back of a knife to remove impurities, pull away the beards, and rinse under running water. In a pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil, add the mussels, and stir. Deglaze with half the white wine. When the alcohol has evaporated, cover with a lid and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Remove the mussels and transfer to a bowl. Strain the cooking broth and set aside. Separate the meat from most of the shells, but keep some shells aside for plating.

4. 4

   Clean the clams: soak them in cold water, discard any dead or broken ones, then rinse thoroughly. In a pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil, add the garlic and let it sauté for a few minutes. Add the clams and deglaze with the remaining white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate, cover, and cook until the clams open.

5. 5

   Transfer the clams to a bowl. Separate the meat from most of the shells, keeping some for plating. Strain the clam cooking broth, combine it with the mussel broth, add the water, and set aside.

6. 6

   Clean the shrimp: remove the heads, peel the shells, make a cut along the back, and remove the intestine. Cut them into pieces about 1.5 cm long. In a pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil, add the shrimp, season with salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

7. 7

   In the same pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add the calamari tentacles and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the rings and season with salt. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

8. 8

   In a pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Add the finely chopped onion and tomato paste. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring.

9. 9

   Add the fregola and toast for 3 minutes, stirring to coat. Pour in 3 ladles of the combined shellfish broth and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth ladle by ladle, as you would for risotto, until the fregola is tender.

10. 10

    When the fregola is almost cooked, add the shrimp, calamari, mussels, and clams. Stir to combine everything. Add the chopped parsley, adjust the salt, and serve immediately, garnishing with a few reserved shells.