Taste the Ocean in Every Bite
Squid Ink Pasta with Spicy Octopus Paste & Shrimp The name sounds fancy, but trust me—this is one of the easiest pasta dishes I’ve ever made! 😆
I recently picked up some squid ink pasta and octopus paste from Jean-Georges Market, and I knew immediately that they would be perfect together. I originally wanted to use sun-dried tomatoes, but since I couldn’t find any, I went with cherry tomatoes instead—and honestly, they worked so well!
When I saw the words “spicy olive oil” on the octopus paste , I had to try it. It took me less than 10 seconds to decide on this dish!
🍽️ Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Octopus paste
- A handful of garlic (thinly sliced)
- Shrimp (as much as you want!)
- Squid ink pasta
- Cherry tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes)
- Crushed red pepper or peperoncino (optional, but recommended!)
How to Make It
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Boil water, add a pinch of salt, and cook the pasta.
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While the pasta cooks, cut shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
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In a separate pan, heat a generous amount of olive oil and garlic slices until fragrant.
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Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and slightly golden.
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Toss in the cooked pasta along with some pasta water and mix well to create a smooth.
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Stir in octopus paste to taste, then add halved cherry tomatoes (or sun-dried tomatoes).
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Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper or peperoncino.
Despite using squid ink pasta, the dish itself didn’t have much of a seafood taste.
What really elevated the umami and ocean flavors was the octopus paste. I had never tried it before, so I tasted a little on its own—it was like finely minced octopus with a rich depth of flavor.
Even though the package said “spicy,” I didn’t find it spicy at all.