Spaghetti in the square is a seafood pasta of octopus and scorpion fish in a tomato, garlic and chili sauce, ready in 1 hour 20 minutes. It feeds 4, and monkfish works if you can’t find scorpion fish.
Why This Recipe Works
The octopus and the scorpion fish cook together in the tomato sauce from the start. Their juices flavor the sauce while they cook, so the sauce tastes of the sea without any stock.
Cooking on gentle heat with the lid on keeps the octopus from turning rubbery. It needs a long, slow simmer to turn tender, so don’t rush it.
Once the fish is cooked, you bone and flake it and cut the octopus into chunks. The wine goes in after that, and the sauce reduces a little while the octopus finishes. This keeps the pieces in the sauce bite-sized and easy to twirl with the spaghetti.
Spaghetti in the Square Ingredients
- 1 (2 1/4-pound) octopus
- 6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- 1 (11-ounce) scorpion fish, cleaned
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 small chili pepper, finely chopped
- 1 3/4 pounds passata or chopped tomatoes
- Scant 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound 2 ounces spaghetti (fresh or dried)
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Salt
How To Make Spaghetti in the Square
Cook the seafood sauce
- Clean the octopus: Remove the eyes and the beak from the octopus. Both are inedible and would spoil the sauce.
- Start the sauce: Pour the olive oil into a big pot over low heat. Put in the garlic, chili and tomatoes, then nestle in the octopus and the scorpion fish. Put the lid on and let everything cook gently for 20 minutes, so the seafood flavors the tomatoes.
- Flake and chop: Lift the scorpion fish and the octopus out of the pot. Pull the bones from the fish and flake the flesh, then cut the octopus into chunks, so every forkful gets a bit of each.
- Finish the sauce: Return both to the pot and pour in the wine. Add a little salt and keep cooking slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, until the octopus is tender. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a splash of water.
Cook the pasta and serve
- Boil the spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain it well.
- Toss and serve: Mix the drained spaghetti with the sauce so the strands pick up the juices. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve right away.
Recipe Tips
- Swap the fish: If you can’t find scorpion fish, use pieces of monkfish. Its firm flesh holds up through the long simmer.
- Keep the heat low: A gentle simmer with the lid on is what makes the octopus tender. Fast, hard boiling toughens it.
- Watch the sauce: If the sauce thickens too much before the octopus is tender, add a splash of water. The sauce should coat the pasta, not clump on it.
- Salt at the end: The sauce reduces as it cooks, so add salt a little at a time. Taste it near the end before you add more.
What To Serve With Spaghetti in the Square
Serve the spaghetti straight from the pot while the sauce is hot and glossy. A crusty loaf for mopping the plate and a simple green salad go well with it.
How To Store
- Fridge: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the sauce on its own for up to 2 months, since cooked pasta turns soft when thawed. Thaw it in the fridge, never on the counter.
- Reheat: Warm the sauce gently in a pan until hot all the way through. Add a splash of water if it has thickened.
FAQs
Can I use monkfish instead of scorpion fish?
Yes. Monkfish is the swap this recipe suggests when scorpion fish is hard to find. Cut it into pieces and cook it in the sauce the same way.
How do I know when the octopus is tender?
Poke a chunk with a fork or knife. It should slide in with little resistance. If it still feels tough, cook it a few more minutes and add water if the sauce is thick.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes. Make the sauce up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it gently while you boil fresh spaghetti.
Is this dish gluten free or dairy free?
It is dairy free, since there is no cheese or butter. It is not gluten free, because spaghetti is made from wheat.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving (1 of 4), worked out from the ingredients.
- Calories: about 780 kcal
- Total Fat: 26g
- Total Carbohydrate: 95g
- Dietary Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 42g
Spaghetti in the Square
4
servings20
minutes1
hour80
minutesSpaghetti with a slow-simmered sauce of octopus, scorpion fish, tomato, garlic and chili, finished with parsley. A seafood pasta for 4 with a tender, deep-flavored sauce.
Ingredients
1 (2 1/4-pound) octopus
6 tablespoons virgin olive oil
1 (11-ounce) scorpion fish, cleaned
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small chili pepper, finely chopped
1 3/4 pounds passata or chopped tomatoes
Scant 1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound 2 ounces spaghetti (fresh or dried)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt
Directions
- Clean the octopus: Remove the eyes and the beak from the octopus. Both are inedible and would spoil the sauce.
- Start the sauce: Pour the olive oil into a big pot over low heat. Put in the garlic, chili and tomatoes, then nestle in the octopus and the scorpion fish. Put the lid on and let everything cook gently for 20 minutes, so the seafood flavors the tomatoes.
- Flake and chop: Lift the scorpion fish and the octopus out of the pot. Pull the bones from the fish and flake the flesh, then cut the octopus into chunks, so every forkful gets a bit of each.
- Finish the sauce: Return both to the pot and pour in the wine. Add a little salt and keep cooking slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, until the octopus is tender. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a splash of water.
- Boil the spaghetti: Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain it well.
- Toss and serve: Mix the drained spaghetti with the sauce so the strands pick up the juices. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve right away.