Seafood Ragù with Tagliolini

La storia di questo piatto

This is a dish without a single canonical name, an interpretation of the Italian coast rather than a codified tradition: scorfano, gallinella and triglia, with their heads and bones, slowly become a ragù, as if the sea had learned to be meat.

Ingredienti

• 900 g Scorpionfish, whole, to be filleted
• 750 g Gurnard, whole, to be filleted
• 600 g Red mullet, whole, to be filleted
• 1 kg Fish heads and bones (those of the filleted fish, plus extra ones from the fishmonger)
• 400 g Fresh tagliolini
• 400 g Datterini tomatoes
• 1 pc Golden onion
• 1 pc Carrot
• 1 stalk Celery
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 150 ml Dry white wine
• 80 ml Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 bunch Parsley
• 1 pc Fresh chili pepper
• 8 g Fine salt for the ragù
• 35 g Coarse salt for the pasta cooking water
• 1 pinch Black pepper
• 1/2 pc Lemon
• 1.5 l Cold water for the broth

Preparazione

1. Let's start with the broth, because it is the soul of the dish. Ask the fishmonger to fillet the scorpionfish, gurnard and red mullet (listed weights: whole fish, from which you will get about 750 g of flesh) and to give you extra heads and bones too, up to about 1 kg in total, counting those of the filleted fish. If you fillet them yourself, be careful: scorpionfish have venomous, sharp dorsal spines, handle them with caution, preferably with gloves or a cloth. Remove the gills from the heads, which would make the broth bitter, and rinse the heads and bones well under running cold water until the water runs clear. In a large pot heat 20 ml of oil over medium heat and sweat for 3-4 minutes, without browning, the heads and bones with half the onion, the carrot and the celery cut into large pieces: they should only release their aroma, because fish stock must not be toasted or it turns bitter. Cover with 1.5 liters of cold water (cold water extracts more flavor), bring to a boil, skim if needed, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes, until the liquid reduces and turns golden. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing the bones well with the back of a spoon: you should obtain about 500 ml, keep it warm over very low heat.
2. While the broth simmers, cut the flesh of the scorpionfish, gurnard and red mullet fillets (about 750 g in total) into not-too-small pieces: during cooking the fish shrinks, and you still want to feel it under your teeth. Finely chop the remaining onion and lightly crush the 2 garlic cloves, leaving them whole. In a wide pan heat the remaining 60 ml of oil over medium heat with the whole chili pepper, then add the onion and garlic. They are ready when they sizzle gently and smell fragrant without taking color: burnt garlic makes the whole dish bitter, so don't take your eyes off it. After 3-4 minutes remove the garlic cloves and discard them.
3. Raise the heat and add the fish flesh: let it sear for a couple of minutes without stirring too much, just long enough to seal it. It should sizzle, not stew in its own liquid, so the pan must be wide and well heated. Pour in the white wine and stir, scraping up the flavors from the bottom, until the sharp smell of alcohol fades and the aroma becomes sweeter. Add the datterini tomatoes crushed by hand, add half of the fine salt (4 g, the first layer of flavor) and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the tomato binds together and no longer tastes raw.
4. Add about 400 ml of the hot strained broth, a little at a time, as you would for a risotto, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Set aside the remaining broth (about 100 ml): it will be used to loosen the sauce during mantecatura. The ragù is ready when it has reduced, is glossy and almost velvety, and the fish flakes apart as soon as you touch it with the spoon. Taste and adjust the salt only now with the remaining 4 g of fine salt, if needed, because now you can truly tell where the dish stands. Toward the end of cooking, bring a pot with about 4 liters of water to a boil and salt it with 35 g of coarse salt: it should be as salty as the sea. Keep the ragù over low heat.
5. Plunge the fresh tagliolini into the boiling salted water and cook for just 1-2 minutes: they must remain very al dente, because they will finish cooking in the pan. Remove the whole chili pepper from the ragù, then drain the tagliolini directly into the pan, reserving a ladleful of their starchy cooking water. Toss them over high heat for one minute, stirring constantly, adding a little of the remaining 100 ml of broth or some cooking water if the sauce dries out too much, until the pasta is well coated and glossy. Turn off the heat, squeeze a few drops of lemon and finish with the chopped parsley and a grind of black pepper: the acidity of the lemon wakes up the whole dish at the last moment. Taste once more, adjust if needed and serve immediately, because tagliolini don't wait.