Gragnano Mezzi Paccheri with Snapper and Pepper Sauce

We have no shortage of luxury destinations among our many cooking vacations in Italy, and certainly one of the loveliest is Blue Sky and Sea of Amalfi. The gorgeous Relais Blu is an idyllic setting for any vacation, and its restaurant puts out amazing Mediterranean fare, such as today’s featured recipe for pacchero pasta with snapper and pepper sauce.

Try our Culinary Experience on the Amalfi Coast.

Gragnano Mezzi Paccheri with Snapper and Pepper Sauce

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Cook method: Simmer

Ingredients:

• 800 gr. whole snapper (about 1 3/4 lbs.)
• 300 gr. (10 oz.) mezzi paccheri pasta from Gragnano (or substitute another round, hollow pasta such as mezzi rigatoni if you cannot find paccheri)
• 200 gr. (7 oz.) yellow and red peppers
• 150 gr. (5-6 oz.) cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 glass dry white wine
• Garlic (whole), to taste
• Basil, to taste
• Salt and papper, to taste
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Discover our Mediterranean Cooking Experience.

Instructions:

1. Skin the peppers and halve lengthwise, removing seeds and membranes. Cut into fine strips.

2. Clean and fillet the snapper, removing the head and bones, and season with oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Prepare the sauce: in a frying pan, saute the garlic in olive oil. Add the snapper head and bones, then the wine. Cook until the wine evaporates, then strain out the head and bones. Add the tomatoes, salt to taste, and a bit of warm water. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, then puré the mixture. Set aside.

4. Cook the pasta in salted water until “al dente,” and drain.

5. While the pasta is cooking, sauté the peppers with some garlic and basil leaves in olive oil. Remove the garlic and basil, add the tomato sauce and pasta, and mix together. Add the snapper and stir to combine the ingredients. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Want to learn more Mediterranean dishes at a luxury hotel in Southern Italy? Please see our Amalfi Coast cooking vacations!

By Peg Kern

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