Tagliolini with red mullet is a quick pasta of red mullet fillets, garlic, white wine and tomatoes, ready in about 30 minutes. It feeds 4 and comes together in one pan and one pot, so it suits a weeknight dinner that still feels special.
Why This Recipe Works
Red mullet is a delicate fish that cooks fast. The fillets go into the hot oil with the garlic and parsley for only a few minutes. A short cook keeps the flesh tender and stops it drying out in the sauce.
The white wine goes in right after the fish. Let it bubble for a couple of minutes. That cooks off the sharp edge of the alcohol and leaves a light acidity that suits the sweet fish.
Finish the pasta in the pan, not on the plate. Toss the drained tagliolini in the sauce over the heat. The noodles soak up the tomato and wine, so every strand tastes of the sauce and not just of plain pasta.
Tagliolini with Red Mullet Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds red mullet
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
- 5 tablespoons white wine
- 9 ounces passata or chopped tomatoes
- Salt
For the pasta
- 1 1/4 pounds tagliolini or tagliatelle (fresh or dried)
- Salt, for the pasta water
How To Make Tagliolini with Red Mullet
Prepare and cook the fish
- Fillet the fish: Scale, gut and fillet the red mullet, then cut the fillets into 2 inch strips. Strips of the same size cook at the same speed.
- Fry the fish: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic, half of the parsley and all of the fish, and fry gently so the garlic flavors the oil.
- Add the wine: Pour in the white wine and stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes so the alcohol cooks off and the fish takes on the wine.
Finish the sauce
- Add the tomatoes: Season with salt, then stir in the passata or chopped tomatoes. Season now, since the salt needs time to spread through the sauce.
- Add the parsley: Sprinkle in the remaining parsley and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Keep the heat gentle so the fish stays in pieces.
Cook the pasta and combine
- Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the tagliolini. Fresh pasta takes about 2 to 3 minutes, and dried pasta takes 6 to 8 minutes.
- Toss together: Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce. Sauté over the heat for a short time, until every strand is coated. Serve right away.
Recipe Tips
- Ask the fishmonger: Have the fish scaled, gutted and filleted at the counter. It saves you the messiest part and leaves you with clean fillets.
- Handle the fish gently: Stir with a light hand once the fish is in the pan. Red mullet is delicate and breaks into small flakes if you stir hard.
- Undercook the pasta slightly: Pull the pasta a minute early if you can, since it finishes cooking in the sauce. This keeps it from going soft.
- Save some pasta water: Keep a small cup of the cooking water before you drain. A splash loosens the sauce if it looks tight when you toss everything together.
What To Serve With Tagliolini with Red Mullet
Serve this pasta straight from the pan, because it loses its best texture as it sits. A simple green salad and a glass of chilled white wine fit well beside it.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 day. Fish pasta is best eaten fresh.
- Reheat: Warm it gently in a pan over low heat with a splash of water until hot all the way through. Do not overheat it, or the fish turns dry.
FAQs
Can I use another fish instead of red mullet?
Yes. Any firm, mild white fish fillet such as sea bream or sea bass works, cut into the same strips. Cook it for the same short time so it stays tender.
Can I use fresh or dried pasta?
Both work. Fresh tagliolini cooks in about 2 to 3 minutes and dried takes 6 to 8 minutes. Taste a strand a minute before the time is up.
Is this recipe dairy free?
Yes. The sauce uses olive oil and no butter or cheese. Check the pasta label, since some fresh egg pasta is made with added dairy.
Why does the fish fall apart in the sauce?
Red mullet is delicate and breaks up if it cooks too long or gets stirred too hard. Add the tomatoes only after the wine step, keep the heat gentle and stir lightly.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 700 kcal
- Total Fat: 20g
- Total Carbohydrate: 90g
- Dietary Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 40g
Tagliolini with Red Mullet
4
servings15
minutes15
minutes30
minutesThin tagliolini tossed with pan-fried red mullet, garlic, white wine and tomato. A quick seafood pasta for 4, made in one pan and one pot.
Ingredients
- For the sauce
1 1/2 pounds red mullet
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
5 tablespoons white wine
9 ounces passata or chopped tomatoes
Salt
- For the pasta
1 1/4 pounds tagliolini or tagliatelle (fresh or dried)
Salt, for the pasta water
Directions
- Fillet the fish: Scale, gut and fillet the red mullet, then cut the fillets into 2 inch strips. Strips of the same size cook at the same speed.
- Fry the fish: Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic, half of the parsley and all of the fish, and fry gently so the garlic flavors the oil.
- Add the wine: Pour in the white wine and stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes so the alcohol cooks off and the fish takes on the wine.
- Add the tomatoes: Season with salt, then stir in the passata or chopped tomatoes. Season now, since the salt needs time to spread through the sauce.
- Add the parsley: Sprinkle in the remaining parsley and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Keep the heat gentle so the fish stays in pieces.
- Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the tagliolini. Fresh pasta takes about 2 to 3 minutes, and dried pasta takes 6 to 8 minutes.
- Toss together: Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce. Sauté over the heat for a short time, until every strand is coated. Serve right away.
