Calamari, Potato and Peas
Calamari, Potato and Peas is a family recipe that we always enjoyed on Christmas Eve growing up in my Italian-American household. It’s a savory combination of tender, slow-cooked calamari, hearty potatoes and sweet peas in a succulent tomato sauce spiked with dry red wine, vinegar, and briny olives and anchovies. And, while this dish certainly reminds me of the holidays, it is a season-less combination that can be enjoyed year-round.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 anchovy filets
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley divided
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1 pound calamari, cleaned, bodies sliced into ½” pieces
- 1/4 cup dry red wine such as merlot or chianti
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
- 1/2 can water
- 1 russet potato cut into ½” chunks, held in cold water
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 8 ounces frozen peas, defrosted
- 1/4 cup pitted and chopped oil-cured black olives
Instructions
- Combine the olive oil and anchovy in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-low heat and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the anchovy has mostly dissolved.
- Add the onion, half the parsley, garlic and crushed red pepper to the pan, stir and cook for about 3 minutes. Then, stir in the calamari and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine, scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon or spatula. Then, add the tomatoes, water, potato (drain first if being held in cold water), dried oregano, salt and black pepper and gently stir until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Cover the pan and bring the mixture to a light boil, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture has come to a boil, remove the cover and reduce the heat to a light simmer.
- Simmer the mixture uncovered for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the potatoes and calamari are very tender. Stir the mixture regularly so that it does not stick or get clumpy.
- Once the calamari and potatoes are at the desired level of tenderness, add the red wine vinegar, peas, olives and remaining parsley, stir gently, and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving platter or bowl. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- This is a great recipe for which you could add in or substitute other forms of seafood. If you’d like to make this into a larger meal, I suggest the following: Add clams and mussels to the pan after the wine and remove them once they open, then proceed with the rest of the recipe. Add them back to the pan, along with some raw, small-to-medium-sized shrimp and/or bay scallops, with the peas and olives. The seafood stew would then be done as soon as the shrimp and scallops are cooked through.
- Calamari, Potato and Peas can be made 1 to 2 days in advance. It also freezes really well and can be held in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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