Squid Ink Pasta
Published May 21, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Salt and pepper
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp
1 large shallot, finely chopped (½ cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
1 (8-ounce) bottle clam juice
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for garnish
1 pound dry squid ink spaghetti (or other long pasta)
½ pound fresh or frozen and thawed calamari, cleaned and sliced into ¼-inch-thick rings
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup chopped parsley
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
97 grams carbs; 315 milligrams cholesterol; 840 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1099 milligrams sodium; 52 grams protein; 8 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, then flip and cook 1 minute longer, just until pink and lightly golden. (The shrimp will finish cooking in the pasta.) Transfer to a plate. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop.
- Step 3
Reduce heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of the oil and the shallot to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 2 minutes.
- Step 4
Add tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes start to soften, 3 minutes. Add clam juice and crushed red pepper, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring to lift up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, just until flavors meld, 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling salted water according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking pasta water, then drain.
- Step 6
Scrape the tomato mixture into the large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add calamari and cook, stirring occasionally, until just opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp, pasta, lemon juice, 1 cup of the reserved pasta water and the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and cook, stirring vigorously, until sauce is slightly thickened and nicely coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. Stir in half of the parsley.
- Step 7
Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with the remaining parsley and more crushed red pepper. Serve warm.
Private Notes
Comments
Why bother using bottle clam juice when you just use fresh clams. No fresh clam? How about shrimp, scallops or mussels?
Yes, just toss in debearded and scrubbed mussels in lieu of the bottled clam juice, cover and steam just until open and they'll release their juice. Fish them out so they don't overcook and reserve to add when you combine the pasta at the end.
You don't need the reserved cup of pasta water. The clam juice and tomato mixture was enough. I also doubled the lemon for some extra zing. Delicious dinner!
This came out wonderfully made mostly as written. Couple changes: - I had fresh littleneck clams so I added those in lieu of the clam juice (2lbs). Took them out as they opened, removed the clams from their shells, and added the clam meat back in at the end with the pasta. They released enough liquid that I did not need to add any pasta water either. - I cooked the sauce in a skillet large enough to add everything else to at the end, I don't see the point in transferring the "tomato mixture" from one pan to another and bringing back to a boil when it was already happily simmering where it was. Other notes: - Throughout the entire recipe, there seemed to be more liquid in my pan than described. No browned bits to scrape up etc. Still delicious. - Also don't understand par-cooking the shrimp at the beginning; shrimp cook so quickly that I think I'll just add chopped raw shrimp at the end with the calamari next time.
I didn’t have a shallot so I used a small onion. I don’t have clam juice but I did have a small can of whole clams in juice so I used that. I didnt have any squid, either, and it turned out great! My family loved it. It’s an easy recipe and relatively quick to make. It took me about 35-40 mins total.
Absolutely delicious! Made this tonight for guests who loved it. I substituted red onion for the shallot since that’s what I had on hand. Definitely more than 4 servings! 8 easily if paired with a salad and a piece of crusty bread.