Corvina, Spinach, & Pasta in Garlic Sauce

I try to make sure we eat fish at least once a week but I have to confess, I don't love cooking it.  We tend to eat a lot of frozen fish that I can just pop straight into the oven and Josh is getting kind of burned out on the lack of variety in our fish meals so I was determined to try something new.  Then I saw that wild caught Corvina (a fish that I had never heard) was on sale at Sprouts this week so I decided to give it a whirl.  Since it is a new fish to us I wanted to keep the rest of the flavors familiar and simple.  I remembered a seafood pasta we had eaten on a cooking demonstration a few years back in Alaska and used that recipe as my jumping off point.

Start out by heating up some olive oil in a large, deep pan (big enough to hold the whole meal) over medium heat.  Add some anchovy paste to the pan and saute it for about a minute.  If you aren't normally a fan of the anchovy, trust me.  The anchovy adds a really nice depth of flavor but it isn't overwhelming.  Just try it, I promise you will like it.

Add in a whole bunch of minced garlic.  Remember this is a garlic sauce.  If you don't like garlic, this recipe is not for you (but seriously who doesn't like garlic?).  This recipe is very garlicky and oh so good.  Stir constantly for a few minutes until the garlic begins to turn golden and then remove it from the heat.  This will let the garlic get sweet and delicious without going too far and burning.

Pour in some white wine, then put the pan back on the burner.  Bring it to a boil until it is reduced by half.  While that is happening, cut your fish into bite-sized pieces and then add the Corvina into the pan.

Continue to cook stirring occasionally, until the fish turns white (about five minutes).

While you are making the fish and garlic sauce, cook a half pound of pasta to al dente according to the package instructions.

Once the fish is cooked through, add the drained pasta into the sauce and toss completely.  Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste.  Cut the butter into small pieces and dot them all over the top of the pasta.

Add in a few handfuls of fresh baby spinach and squeeze the lemon juice all over it.  Then stir it all together until the butter is melted.

That's it, a one-pan fish meal that is easy and delicious.  Serve with freshly grated parmesan if you want (I always do).

Corvina, Spinach, & Pasta in Garlic Sauce

• 4 tbls. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1/3 cup minced garlic
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 1 lb. Corvina or other white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 lb. dry pasta
• 4 tbls. butter, cut into small pieces
• about 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• juice of 1/2 of a lemon
• parmesan (optional)

1. Cook pasta to al dente according to instructions on package.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil over medium heat in a deep pan large enough to hold the entire meal.  Add anchovy paste to pan and saute for about a minute.
3. Add garlic to pan and saute, stirring constantly, until garlic begins to turn light golden.  Remove from heat and pour in wine to deglaze the pan.
4. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil.  Stir occasionally and continue to boil until reduced by half.
5. Put Corvina pieces into pan and cook until fish turns white, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Add in the drained pasta and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Stir to combine.
7. Scatter the pieces of butter all over the top, then add in spinach and squeeze lemon juice all over the top.  Stir it all together and continue to cook until the butter is melted.
8. Serve with parmesan if desired. 

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