Seafood Orzo

This is a delightful seafood pasta recipe featuring orzo, mussels, king prawns, and squid. It's a flavorful dish with a kick of spice from red chilli and chilli flakes, all brought together with a tangy squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients

• 150 g of orzo pasta
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 red chilli, roughly chopped (seeds optional)
• 1 knob of butter
• 100 ml of white wine
• 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 handful of fresh mussels
• 4 large king prawns in the shells
• 1 squid tube and tentacles (tube sliced into rings and tentacles roughly chopped)
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Chopped fresh parsley for serving
• ½ lemon, juice only

Instructions

1. In a large pan, combine onions, garlic, chillies, and seasoning. Gently soften over low heat in the butter and a drizzle of olive oil for about 7-10 minutes.
2. While the onions are cooking, boil a pot of salted water. Add the pasta and cook as instructed on the packet, subtracting 2 minutes. Once cooked, drain the pasta, mix in a bit of olive oil, and set aside.
3. Once the onions are done, increase the heat to high, pour in the wine and reduce until almost evaporated.
4. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Fill the empty tomato can halfway with water and pour that in. Season and let it come to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2-4 minutes.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix. Arrange the mussels on top, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the mussels open, about 4 minutes. Discard any mussels that do not open.
6. In another frying pan over high heat, cook the king prawns with a sprinkle of salt for 3-4 minutes, turning halfway. Place the cooked prawns on top of the mussels and pasta.
7. In the same pan used for the prawns, add a drizzle of olive oil and the squid along with chilli flakes. Fry for a minute, then add butter and cook for another minute. Add the cooked squid to the pasta.
8. Finish the dish with a squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of parsley, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2

Difficulty Level: Medium

Tips: Ensure to discard any mussels that do not open during cooking as they are not safe to eat.