I am once again asking you to cook with shellfish

don’t worry, there’s also pasta

Hello and welcome to Home Movies (Wednesday- sorry, I was away)! If you’ve found your way over by some miracle but are not yet subscribed, here, let me help you with that:

if your camera lens isn’t hazy with a film of olive oil, we are not the same

Like many of you, I have an ongoing list of “things I’d like to be better at.” Personality traits or habits I’m currently working on to change, but still struggle with (if you do not have this list, congrats on your blissful existence). I don’t feel like I need to share all of them here today, especially not the juicy ones (those are for me and Janice), but some kind of milquetoast examples: I still often run 5-10 minutes late, anyone can tell the second I decide I don’t like someone or something, and, maybe top of my list: I care (maybe too) deeply about what people think, specifically my work and things related to it. I feel embarrassingly jealous of those who create things and live life with the confident, shame-free attitude of “not caring what other people think,” because I…care so, so much. I often wonder how much more I’d be able to do, how much less anxious I’d feel if I simply… didn’t. The freedom! 

While my recipes are definitely led by “what do I want to eat,” know “what do you want to eat,” almost always haunts me until the two align. 

Almost always. Occasionally, I like something that I know you might not like as much and I publish it anyway. I like these types of recipes for cookbooks because on balance it’s a part of a collection that gives “something for everyone,” while providing context within the collection, not unlike an album. (Some examples include my favorite breakfast Matzo Brei, several unsexy seeming but delicious dishes containing lentils or grains, and most things with seafood, unless it’s tomato poached cod or salmon). But individual newsletters or episodes of Home Movies feel more like attempts at a single each time—there’s more pressure for each one to people please, to hit. Is this analogy working? 

Anyway, they can’t all be singles. For every Roasted Eggplant Pasta, I also want to give you a Spicy Seafood Pasta because, well, I really love spicy seafood pasta and think we should all be eating a bit more seafood. I know Spicy Seafood Pasta will never be the most popular, but I do need to resist the urge to only play the hits. I wouldn’t be satisfied if I did. And so today, it’s less pantry staples and more mussels and head-on prawns. 

If you’re still reading past “head-on,” know that if I’m going to ask you to find seafood, I’m going to try and please you in other ways, because…I still care what you think. Like giving you the easiest way possible to prepare said seafood: Poaching it gently in an easy to make brothy sauce of caramelized fennel and juicy, end-of-season tomatoes (pleasing). Like giving you the permission to use seafood however you can find it: tinned or canned, fresh or frozen (a pleasure!). Like telling you to toss it all with pasta (number one pleasing food) and finishing it with basil, somehow the most people-pleasing of herbs (though not my favorite herb, I will admit it is really the best choice here). 

Before we get into that, a quick request! Impossible as it is to imagine, The Holidays are nigh. While I work on inventing a bird that isn’t a turkey but is more festive than a chicken but is less rich than goose or duck but not as fussy as quail (jk I’m making a turkey again), I'll be recording several Solicited Advice episodes for a HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR to carry us from Thanksgiving to New Years, answering all your questions about cooking, hosting, partying, cleaning, guesting, eating, gifting and navigating the ins and outs of family dynamics, new love interests and holiday traditions that crop up this time of year. This means I…need your questions. 

Are you feeling anxious about what to make or how to make it? Does the concept of “guest etiquette” give you hives? Are you hosting for the first time and feel simultaneously excited and ready to cancel already? Are there “special” family dynamics you need help untangling? Holiday drama you're trying to emotionally prepare for? Send me your questions about the food, the vibes, the relationships—anything that you're worried is standing between you and holiday bliss, and I'll try to solve all (or at least some of) your problems. I’d love to hear your questions (the more vulnerable, the more specific the better), so call our hotline at our famously easy to remember number (856) 502-4816 (or submit questions using this form). Thank you for your service!

For the full recipe, read on.

Director: Doron Max Hagay @doronmaxhagay / Producer: Graham Mason @grahambomason / Photography Director: Alex Bliss @albertblimp / Audio: Yves Albaret @yvesarmand / Camera Operator: Daniel Rampulla @danielrampulla / Camera Operator: Johnny Frohman @johnnyfrohman / Graphics: Gordon Landenberger @gordonlandenberger / Editor: Cooper Conley-Currier

Spicy Seafood Pasta with Fennel

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Spicy Seafood Pasta

Serves 4—6

At its core, this is a light breezy pasta made with caramelized fennel and juicy, fresh tomatoes—already wonderful—but yes, there is also seafood. This can mean many things: shrimp and mussels or clams, squid or calamari, scallops or picked crab or lobster. These fruits of the sea can be fresh or frozen, tinned or canned. You can use a mix or stick to shrimp since you have a bag of it in your freezer anyway. The more interesting your seafood choice the more dynamic your sauce will be, which is to say: live a little. The raw garlic at the end coupled with torn basil and fennel fronds will bring as much life to the dish as that generous squeeze of lemon, so please do include them at the end.

¼ cup olive oil, plus more

½ large or 1 small fennel bulb (including stems and fronds), thinly sliced

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 ½–2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, plus more

1 tablespoon whole fennel seed

½ cup dry white wine (if not using wine, use ½ cup water with 1–2 tablespoons white wine vinegar)

4 cloves garlic, very well crushed, plus 2 cloves finely chopped

1 ½–2 pounds fresh tomatoes, any sort, chopped

1 pound pasta (any long noodle shape is my preference)

1 pound mussels or clams, scrubbed (and soaked, if using clams)

1 ½–2 pounds shrimp, head-on or not

1 bunch basil, leaves torn

1–2 lemons, halved for squeezing

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente (each pasta will cook differently depending on the brand, so use package instructions). Drain, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water. Return pasta to the pot, drizzling with a little olive oil to prevent pasta from clumping together while you finish the sauce.

2. Meanwhile, heat ¼ cup oil a large skillet over medium heat. Add fennel, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely caramelized, about 5-8 minutes. Add fennel seed and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring a minute or two to toast in the oil. Add wine and let simmer until it’s reduced by about half and the fennel is softened. 

3. Add 4 cloves of your well-crushed garlic cloves, and cook a minute or two, then add your tomatoes maybe squeezing them a bit as you add (it’s fun). Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the tomatoes turn juicy and jammy but are still chunky, 5-8 minutes. Add 1 cup of water and simmer for 5 or so minutes, until everything has melded together and the brothy sauce has thickened slightly, seasoning with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes as needed. 

4. Add shrimp and mussels to the sauce, cover the pan (use a sheet pan or large plate, whatever works), and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are bright pink and opaque and the mussels have opened, 5–8 minutes. 

5. Add the sauce to the pasta in the larger pot (or the pasta to the sauce–whichever vessel holds more), gently tossing to evenly coat the pasta with the briny sauce and distribute the seafood  (tongs are best for this). Add chopped fennel fronds, remaining 2 cloves finely chopped garlic and toss, toss, toss. 

6. To serve, transfer pasta to a large bowl or platter (or serve straight from the pot), finishing with a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of flaky salt, crack of pepper, and more crushed red pepper flakes. Scatter basil (and more fennel fronds if you have them) over top. Eat with some crisp white wine and sparkling water, and don’t forget to bring a bowl for shells to the table.

• I cooked the pasta in my all-clad pot and cooked the sauce in this perfectly sized vessel made much more perfect by its fish handle. While it’s not required, it is encouraged! Now that I’m looking, I’d also like the cow and chicken ones as soon as possible.

• If you placed an order for one of First Bloom’s first ever gift boxes (lucky you!), you could very well be receiving some surprise fennel seed, red pepper flakes, or some linguine to make this recipe. If you’re in the Catskills, come admire the shop’s extensive La Fabbrica Della Pasta di Gragnano collection perfect for all of your pasta needs. It’s one of the few places you can find fusilli di grangnano - essential (imo) for the Lemon Pepper Pasta with Browned Butter. 

• Serve this pasta with trusty tongs on a fun platter with plenty of adorable napkins - I love these gingham sunflower napkins and anything by Sophie Lou Jacobsen.

• My Peas & Love shirt is scientifically proven to increase enjoyment while making a spicy seafood pasta. This one is from Online Ceramics, who are…no longer making shirts (but always worth a look on online resell shops)… (RIP) and I like wearing it with these hoops and these Sezane shorts, which I think are a perfect high-waisted short.

• Obviously, when I’m not using my Stanley, a tragically uncool and sometimes impractical thermos that I love deeply, the humble mason jar is keeping me hydrated.