Home » Blog » Spinach Gnocchi with Seafood
Spinach Gnocchi with Seafood

Spinach Gnocchi with Seafood

Spinach Gnocchi with Seafood

Gnocchi was never really “my thing” until I started pan-crisping them. Lightly caramelizing the cooked gnocchi in olive oil so that they gain a little crunchy texture, transforms the soft blobs of cooked dough into a delightful foundation for an amazing pasta dish. Spinach Gnocchi have a bright green color and in this recipe I cook fresh seafood, using their juices as the base for the sauce, and finish it with a creamy tomato-basil sauce.

Shaping the Gnocchi:

Spinach Gnocchi

Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll it into a rope about 1/2 inch thick. Use flour if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking and slice the rope into 1/2- inch pieces.

TOOL TIP:

Although the back of a fork can get you by, a Gnocchi Board will increase your speed and give you more ridges in your gnocchi, which means that they will catch more sauce. And for less than $10, it is a worthwhile investment.

To form the gnocchi shape: If you’re right-handed, hold a dinner fork (facing up) in your left hand with the tines resting on the counter at a 45-degree angle. Flour your right thumb, start the piece of dough at the top of the tines and gently press the dough into the tines as you roll it down to the base of the tines. As the dough rolls down, allow it to form around your thumb, creating the indentation on the smooth side while the other side forms ribs from the tines of the fork. Alternatively, use a Gnocchi Board as we are doing in the photos above to get more ridges in your gnocchi. Place the gnocchi on a floured parchment-lined baking sheet and continue forming gnocchi with all of the dough.

Cooking the Gnocchi:

Spinach Gnocchi

After being formed, the gnocchi need to be cooked immediately in a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook in two batches unless you have an enormous pot. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring continuously. When the gnocchi begin to float on the surface, cook them for 1 more minute and remove them to a lightly oiled baking sheet to cool in a single layer.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat. Add olive oil and crisp the gnocchi, cooking them in batches and turning them as the start to crisp. Keep warm.

Cooking the Seafood and Sauce:

Spinach Gnocchi with Seafood

The cleaned and cut seafood is marinated in a mixture of garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Cook the garlic briefly, add the mollusks and stir for a few minutes. Add the fish pieces and stir for a few minutes. Add the calamari and shrimp and cook, stirring, for a few more minutes or until cooked through. Remove all of the seafood from the pan and reserve in a warm place. Return any unopened mollusks to the pan and add the white wine. Reduce by half. Add the tomato sauce and heat through. Pour in the heavy cream and reduce to a nice sauce consistency. Add the basil, lemon juice and zest and add the seafood back to the sauce. Add in the warmed gnocchi and toss to coat well. Serve immediately.

Spinach Gnocchi with Seafood

Recipe by Michael SalmonCourse: PastaCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

1

hour 

30

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes

Ingredients

  • available seafood: calamari, clams, mussels, shrimp, fish, etc.

  • seafood marinade of minced garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, Kosher salt and pepper 

  • 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1 cup tomato sauce

  • 1 cup heavy cream

  • 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil

  • 1 lemon, juice and zest

  • Spinach Gnocchi
  • 5 oz fresh spinach leaves

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 Tablespoons plus warm water

  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt

  • 2 large baking Idaho potatoes (2 pounds)

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

  • Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for working the dough)

  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

  • Prepare your seafood. Clean the mollusks well and soak to purge if necessary. Cut the clean squid into bite-sized pieces and marinate in a mixture of garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and salt and pepper. Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and peel and devein the shrimp and marinate like the squid.
  • Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat.
  • Add the garlic and stir. Cook briefly.
  • If you are using mollusks, add to the pan and stir for a few minutes. Add the fish pieces and stir for a few minutes. Add the calamari and shrimp and cook, stirring, for a few more minutes or until cooked through. Remove all of the seafood from the pan and reserve in a warm place.
  • Heat another large saute pan over high heat. Add the remaining 3 Tablespoons olive oil and crisp the gnocchi, cooking them in batches and turning them as the start to crisp. Keep warm.
  • Return any unopened mollusks to the pan and add the white wine. Reduce by half. Add the tomato sauce and heat through.
  • Pour in the heavy cream and reduce to a nice sauce consistency. Add the basil, lemon juice and zest and add the seafood back to the sauce.
  • Add in the warmed gnocchi and toss to coat well. Serve immediately.
  • Spinach Gnocchi
  • Place the cleaned potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking the potatoes for about 30 minutes after the boil has been reached.
  • Using a kitchen towel to hold the potatoes, peel them with a paring knife while they are still hot. Press them through a potato ricer or work them through a food mill onto a clean counter and gently spread them out to cool.
  • In a blender, puree the spinach, egg and water until smooth and add the salt, white pepper and nutmeg.
  • Mound the cooled potatoes on the counter and pour the spinach mixture into a well in the center. Mix the liquid slowly into the potatoes and start adding the flour and Parmesan cheese in batches, kneading the mixture into a dough. Knead the dough for 2 minutes.
  • Cut the dough into 8 pieces. Take one piece of dough and roll it into a rope about 1/2 inch thick. Use flour if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking and slice the rope into 1/2- inch pieces.
  • To form the gnocchi shape: If you’re right-handed, hold a dinner fork (facing up) in your left hand with the tines resting on the counter at a 45-degree angle. Flour your right thumb, start the piece of dough at the top of the tines and gently press the dough into the tines as you roll it down to the base of the tines. As the dough rolls down, allow it to form around your thumb, creating the indentation on the smooth side while the other side forms ribs from the tines of the fork. Alternatively, use a Gnocchi Board to obtain more ridges in the gnocchi.
  • Place the gnocchi on a floured parchment-lined baking sheet and continue forming gnocchi with all of the dough.
  • Cooking the gnocchi: After being formed, the gnocchi need to be cooked immediately in a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook in two batches unless you have an enormous pot. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a few at a time, stirring continuously. When the gnocchi begin to float on the surface, cook them for 1 more minute and remove them to a lightly oiled baking sheet to cool in a single layer.

One Comment

  1. This looks amazing! I have wanted to make spinach gnocchi for a while. Time to dust of my gnocchi board. Thank you!

Leave a Reply