Seafood Fregola

We had some friends over for dinner this week, so I found myself peeling half a kilo prawns and decided to make the most out of the activity and make some prawn stock out of the shells. Once I had made the stock I realised I wasn't sure what I was going to use it for, so I improvised a bit and ended up with this Seafood Fregola. Mr SC isn't a big fan of risotto, but this went down a treat and is a good compromise for some quick and easy seafood comfort food.

Seafood Fregola

200g fregola
500ml prawn* or seafood stock
1 squid tube cut into rings
250g piece of white fish (eg Orange Roughy, Mahi Mahi or Snapper)
500g clams
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 handful chopped parsley (keep the stalks for the clams)
1 handful chopped dill
1 finely diced chilli
100ml white wine
50g pecorino

Bring prawn stock to the boil then add the fregola, cook for 2 minutes less than the packet instructs

Add the wine and  parsley stalks to a small pot, then add the clams and steam for a few minutes until the clams have opened, remove from the heat

Spash a few teaspoons of olive oil into a fry pan, once hot add the fish fillet after approx. 2 minutes turn over the fish and then add the squid rings. After two minutes roughly break up the fish filet with the spatula then add the parsly, dill, chilli, lemon juice, salt and fregola together with any remaining stock

Stir and combine the seafood fregola, bringing the mix to a simmer

Add the pecorino, stir through then plate up the seafood fregola placing the clams on top

*see prawn stock recipe below

Prawn Stock

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery stalk
1 lemon (peel and juice)
2 diced tomatoes
100ml dry white wine
stems from 1 bunch of parsley
prawn shells from 500g whole prawns

Heat the olive oil in the pan and add the carrot and celery, once they begin to brown add the prawn shells and continue to stir until caramelised
Add the tomatoes, parsley stems, lemon, salt and the white wine, continue cooking and stirring until the wine has evaporated and the tomatoes have broken down
Add approx. 700ml water and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes
Sieve the stock and let cool, refrigerate until needed