Seafood tagliatelle

Seafood used to scare me. I couldn't even tell why; perhaps it was the overcooked, rubbery octopus I once had in a paella that put me off it for many years. I decided to be brave and venture out of my comfort zone. And you know what? Seafood is delicious (if cooked properly). It's not only tasty, but quick to cook and low in fat. This seafood tagliatelle takes about 15 minutes to make so it's perfect for a mid week dinner. Perfect for days when you come home tired after a long commute, hungry and craving something light, yet satisfying. Now, put that take away menu where it belongs (in the bin). Done? Thank you. Gather your ingredients and whip up this amazing seafood pasta.

To make enough for two people you'll need:

1 pack of frozen seafood mix (mine had mussels, prawns, calamari in it) - in an ideal world you'd go to your local fishmonger's and pick up fresh seafood, but let's face it - this is not always an option.

100 g streaky bacon (or about 5 rashers) chopped into smallish bits

splash of olive oil

1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

100 g soya/edameme beans (or broadbeans, cooked and peeled)

2 handfuls of rocket leaves

half a lemon

tagliatelle pasta (fresh or dry) - enough for 2 people

salt and pepper

Before you start, take your seafood out of the freezer and leave in a bowl for about 30 mins to defrost. Put a big pot of water on the stove to boil. Add a tsp of salt. Heat a bit of oil in a pan and add bacon.

Fry until it starts getting golden and crisp (about 5 minutes), then add soya/broadbeans and cook until slightly softened (about 5-7 minutes). 

Check if the water for the pasta is boiling and tip your pasta in the pot. Once the soya beans/broadbeans are soft, tip in seafood mix and cook for 2 minutes gently turning it over so it cooks evenly. Season with salt and pepper, add half of the chopped parsley, give it a final stir and turn the gas off. 

If there's a bit of liquid in the pan - great - it will coat the pasta nicely.

Check if your pasta is ready and drain. Divide between the bowls, spoon over the seafood mix and juice, scatter remaining parsley on top, squeeze a bit of lemon juice and mix in rocket leaves.Tuck in! Light a candle, open a bottle of wine and you've got yourself a bit of Italy in your flat (unless of course you already happen to live in Italy, in which case, lucky you! ;)