Saturday evenings often remind me of Azzurro Restaurant in West Didsbury, just around the corner from where we used to live. It was a real “local” restaurant for us – owned and staffed by people we knew and really liked, and often full of people who were either friends or acquaintances. The food also, was just unbelievably good. Real Italian fare, without a pizza or a garlic bread in sight. And, without a doubt, my go-to favourite, cooked to utter perfection, was the fresh seabass with linguine. I’ve missed it, so this weekend, we made our own take on this Azzurro classic…
We didn’t have fresh sea-bream, but did have some lovely salmon fillets, so used these an alternative. And, for a quick dinner, we’ll definitely be doing this again…
what you’ll need
- salmon fillets, marinaded for about two hours in olive oil, chilli flakes, honey and paprika
- cherry tomatoes, on the vine
- linguine (or spaghetti)
- fresh basil leaves for garnish
- parmesan
what you’ll need to do
It couldn’t be simpler.
- marinade the salmon fillets
- roast the cherry tomatoes, on the vine
- cook the linguine
- griddle the salmon fillets, so that they char
- strain the linguine, and then mix in the salmon fillets (which will flake) and top with the cherry tomatoes, still on the vine (they just look prettier, if served like this…)
- sprinkle with parmesan flakes and fresh torn basil leaves
Very different to the restaurant standard Azzurro dish, but absolutely perfect for a DIY fish/pasta dish. Especially when paired with a lovely Italian white, and eaten on the sofa. Just what weekends are about…
