Theo says: “Just the thought of seafood and ouzo, and I am sitting in a beach taverna with my feet in the sand listening to the sound of the waves crashing in the distance. This is a humble dish – a bit of pasta, a bit of seafood, a bit of ouzo.

“But put them together with a little love and an extra dash of this and that, you’ll create a dish worth salivating over. I like this recipe because of its humble origins, not despite them. It simply capitalizes on great flavours working together.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

300g dried linguine pasta
80ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
12 baby plum tomatoes, halved lengthways
a splash of white wine
20 king prawns
12 clams, washed and cleaned
4 small squid, each sliced into 4
50ml ouzo
a handful of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
a pinch of dried chilli pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, not letting the garlic change colour. Add the tomatoes and white wine, and simmer for 5 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and the wine has reduced.

Add all the seafood, cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes until the prawns have changed colour and the clams have opened.

Finally, add the ouzo and a few turns of a pepper mill. Simmer for a couple of minutes to burn off the alcohol, then remove from the heat.

Once the pasta is al dente, drain and add the pasta to the seafood, including a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water and half the chopped parsley. Heat the pasta and sauce together for a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat and rest for a few moments.

Pour the finished pasta onto a large platter, scatter with the chilli flakes, the remaining chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

Tip: This recipe works terrifically as a quick mid-week meal, cheating with a ready-to-use pack of mixed seafood. Alternatively, transform this into something extravagant and sophisticated by adding some seared scallops, langoustines or any other of your favourite shellfish.

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