Marameo’s squid-ink spaghetti with crab, chilli and tomato
SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 45 MINS // COOK 10 MINS (PLUS RESTING)
“This dish can be enjoyed at any time of year,” says Geoff Martin. “If you can’t find Western Australian blue swimmer crab, spanner or mud crabs are great alternatives.”
500 gm ripe tomatoes
(about 4 tomatoes), tops and bases scored
50 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 birdseye chilli, finely chopped
400 gm raw blue swimmer crabmeat
75 ml dry white wine
250 ml (1 cup) fish stock
¼ cup (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup (loosely packed) basil, coarsely torn
2-3 tbsp tobiko roe (see note), to serve
SQUID-INK SPAGHETTI
210 gm lightly beaten egg (from about 4 eggs)
3 tsp squid ink (see note)
500 gm (31/3 cups) “00” flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting 1 For spaghetti, whisk egg and squid ink in a bowl. Add flour and a pinch of salt to a separate bowl. Create a well in the centre of the flour, pour in egg mixture and 2 tsp water and mix with a fork to form a dough. Turn out onto a surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Wrap dough and rest (1 hour). Divide dough into 4, then working with one piece at a time, and dusting with flour as necessary, feed through a pasta machine, starting at the widest setting, rolling and folding once or twice, then reducing notch by notch until pasta is 2mm thick, then use the spaghetti attachment (or use a chitarra tool) and cut into spaghetti. Dust with flour to prevent pasta sticking together, cover and refrigerate in small mounds on a tray until required. 2 Blanch tomatoes in a saucepan of boiling water until skins split (20-30 seconds), then refresh in iced water.
Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel skin. Quarter tomatoes and remove centre and core, then dice remaining flesh. Refrigerate until required. 3 Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring frequently, until cooked al dente (3-4 minutes). 4 Meanwhile, combine olive oil, garlic, chilli and crabmeat in a large deep frying pan over high heat and cook until crab is just cooked
(1-2 minutes). Deglaze pan with wine, scraping base, then add fish stock and tomato. 5 Drain pasta (reserve pasta water), then add to sauce and simmer (1-2 minutes). Add parsley and basil. Season to taste, drizzle over oil to taste, and stir, adding pasta water as needed, until sauce emulsifies and thickens to coat the pasta. Top with roe and serve.
Note Tobiko roe and squid ink are available from select fishmongers.