Garlic Chilli Lime Seafood Pasta

My Mom cooked in the best English tradition, you know, bland and overcooked.  Hey but I liked it.  There's still nothing like your own Mom's cooking.

It took me until I was away at Massage Therapy College in my early 20s that I learned about garlic.  Well, maybe that's not fair.  Mom did have some 20 year old garlic powder that she used sparingly.  Maybe she was rationing it out because they didn't have it in Ontario or maybe it was too strong for my Dad's stomach.  I don't really know.  I think this is when I learned that food has taste.  And that there can be different flavours layered in one dish. It used to be: take a mouthful and chew the meat, veggie or potato and taste that individual thing.  Now instead it's: take a bite and there is a starting, middle and finishing flavour.  All in one dish!  This is a brave new world.  Let's explore together...

This was something that I first through together when we were staying at the Crystal Cove Cabins in Tofino BC.  This is my at home attempt to capture the sounds of the surf and smell of ocean.  It's a little pricy because of the goodies you put in but "if you were to order this out..." argument makes it seem cheaper.

Time: less than an hour.  Or if you perfer less than 2 glasses of wine.

2 limes zest and juice

2 oz chilli oil ( may want to use half plain olive oil)

About a cup of fish pieces ( I like to get a mixture of salmon, cod, etc)

8 spot prawns 

6 large pieces crab legs

Snow peas

Cherry tomatoes halved 

Fresh leaf lettuce 

1tbsp fine chopped garlic (4 cloves)

1 tbsp grated ginger

Fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Boil pasta, add snow peas to water for thelast minute 
   
2. Warm oil with garlic and ginger about 30-60 seconds

3. Add fish pieces 3 minutes

4.  Add prawns to pink

5.  Add lime juice and zest

6.  And crab and tomatoes to warm last minute (don't add the tomatoes too soon or they will fall apart and go too mushy)

7.  Drain pasta and mix together in the pan with fish and sauce 

8.  Serve and add fresh lettuce 

I really enjoyed the different layers of flavour with this dish.  I still am learning about the heat from garlic, ginger and chilli.  Sometimes a mouthful will be warm on the lips and sometimes on the tongue and I can't discern what is the cause.  I will have to keep experimenting to find the culprit!  I do know that I had a big smile on my face :D