Spaghetti with Red Mullet Livornese Style

Method

1. Clean the red mullet: remove scales with a spoon, gut the fish, remove gills and fins.
2. Prepare the sauce base: finely mince garlic (remove the germ if present). Add garlic, chili pepper, and extra virgin olive oil to a high-sided pan. Sauté over low heat until the garlic is golden.
3. Add the whole red mullet to the pan and sear for 15 seconds per side. Remove the fish and set aside.
4. Add tomato sauce (canned peeled tomatoes crushed or pureed, plus a little water from rinsing the jar) to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, return the fish to the pan, turning them so they are coated in sauce. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes over low heat.
6. About 5-6 minutes before the end of cooking, season with salt and pepper.
7. Once cooked, remove from heat, add fresh basil leaves, cover, and let rest for 3-4 minutes.
8. While the sauce rests, finely chop parsley (to be added fresh at the end).
9. For the spaghetti: remove the flesh from the cooked fish, being careful of bones. Set aside the fish meat.
10. In a separate large pan, take some of the Livornese sauce (without the fish) and add the fish meat and pitted black olives (preferably Taggiasche olives).
11. Thin the sauce with a couple of ladles of hot pasta cooking water. Simmer on low heat with the lid on.
12. Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente.
13. Transfer the drained pasta to the pan with the sauce. Toss well, adding chopped parsley and fresh basil.
14. Finish with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.