Calamari Marinara

This is a rich and tasty Italian calamari recipe. Calamari has an unfair reputation for being tricky to work with and that it's rubbery when cooked. Here's the secret... Cook it for 45 seconds or 45 minutes — very quickly or a long slow simmer. For this marinara dish, I use the long simmer method.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 56 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 11 mins
• Calories: 806 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (16 ounce) package dry pasta
• 1 cup clam juice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 anchovy fillet
• 1 yellow onion, sliced thin
• 1 serrano chile pepper, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 6 cups crushed or pureed Italian plum tomatoes
• ¼ cup freshly chopped Italian parsley

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.

Step 2

Drizzle olive oil into a saucepan. Add onions, chile pepper, garlic, anchovy filet, red pepper flakes, and salt; place over medium-high heat. Stir and cook until onions and garlic just start to turn golden, 3 or 4 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in wine and simmer until wine is reduced by about half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add clam juice, tomatoes, and oregano. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

Step 4

Gently stir in calamari and simmer until tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley.

Step 5

Stir some sauce into the hot, drained pasta. Serve in warm bowls topped with more marinara sauce and grated cheese.