Recipe: Jessie Spiby’s Spicy, Summery Squid and Prawn Pasta

For Jessie Spiby – former Masterchef contestant and owner of Adelaide cafe My Grandma Ben – food and drink are always best enjoyed with others.

“I love the idea of having a giant bowl of pasta in the middle of the table and everyone helping themselves – a real communal feast,” says Spiby. “Pasta is always more fun when you get to share it.”

One of Spiby’s favourite pasta recipe matches two of her great culinary passions – lip-tingling spice and sustainably caught seafood.

A self-confessed chilli head, Spiby says the spice here comes in the form of a chilli oil that takes as much from Southeast Asian cuisine as it does from Italy. “I really wanted to do something a little bit different in that you roast the chillies to get a different flavour into the pasta,” says Spiby. “It’s a bit of a riff on a roasted, Thai-style chilli jam, but making it more of an oil. You actually want to blacken the chilli – you want the burnt bits, that’s part of the flavour.”

If you’re not a fan, you can sub them out for something else. “If you don’t like spice, you can roast the chilli and remove the seeds and you’ll still get a nice heat,” says Spiby. “[If you are], just bear in mind you might blow people’s heads off a little bit if you’re using ghost chillies or something.”

For the seafood, Spiby takes the same local and sustainably minded philosophy as she does at My Grandma Ben. “I’m a big fan of going to an actual fishmonger and asking questions,” says Spiby. “Try something different, try something part of a wild catch, steer away from farmed fish and ask how it’s caught.”

Although this recipe calls for squid and prawns, you can look to other options sourced locally. “Wherever you’re enjoying this pasta, you can substitute whatever seafood is best in your region or even a river fish. It doesn’t have to be seafood,” says Spiby. “I personally love shellfish, so for me pipis, prawns [or] lobster is what I would pair with this.”

To serve, Spiby prefers to go family-style from a large bowl in the centre of the table.

Here’s how to make her spicy squid and prawn spaghetti at home.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

7 long red chillies, halved lengthways
½ cup olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and crushed
½ cup white wine
1/2 cup fish stock
200g cherry tomatoes
400g spaghetti
200g fresh squid, cleaned and thinly sliced (no wider than 1cm)
200g prawns, shelled and cleaned
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
Salt
Pepper
Lemon wedges, for serving

To make the roasted chilli oil, pre-heat the oven to 200°c. Place chilli halves cut-side down on a tray lined with baking paper, making sure none are touching.

Roast in the oven until chillies begin to blacken in spots. This will take around 30-35 minutes. Don’t stir or mix chillies while cooking.

Once cooked, remove from oven. Scrape seeds and membranes from the roasted chillies and reserve. You can add seeds later if you prefer more spice.

Roughly chop chillies or blitz in a food processor. Set aside.

For the pasta, Heat 1-2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy-based fry pan on medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, being careful not to brown. Add fennel seeds, wine, stock and tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes or until tomatoes begin to collapse. Remove from heat.

Cook pasta to packet instructions in a pot of heavily salted water. Drain and add to sauce along with the butter. Toss to combine.

In a separate pan, heat remaining oil on high heat. Once pan is hot, add seafood and cook for 3-5 minutes or until just golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add squid and prawns to pasta pan and toss. Stir in reserved charred chilli oil, adding seeds to taste.

Season and serve with lots of fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Looking for more squid cooking inspiration? Visit Broadsheet's squid recipe collection.