BYLINES BY SCOTT
CHEF DAVID PASTERNACK TALKS EAST END FISHING; CLAM FUSILLI RECIPE
Seafood extraordinaire Chef David Pasternack celebrates the East End’s bounty with fusilli with surf clams.
Montauk, Orient Point, Artie’s South Shore Fish Market, and some other hidden gems have been a 40-year love affair for chef David Pasternack. Having just launched his newest Manhattan restaurant Barchetta, the seafood master and fishing enthusiast still thinks the East End is the perfect catch.
What brings you out to the East End?
I’ve been fishing in Montauk for 40 years, and it still keeps me coming back.
Any favorite fishing spots?
My favorite spots are Montauk and Orient Point.
Are you a catch-and-release or catch-and-cook kind of guy?
Catch and cook.
What is your favorite fish to cook?
That’s a tough question. Some fish are better at certain times of year, based on seasonality. For the summer, I’ve been eating a lot of striped bass.
Where do you go for fish when you’re not cooking?
I have a buddy who has a fish market and restaurant called Artie’s South Shore Fish Market in Island Park.
What is on your menu for a summer dinner party?
Striped bass, fluke, sea bass, tuna, and swordfish.
And to drink?
I like Aperol and rosé in the summer.
Where do you shop on the East End?
Farmers markets are my favorite places, absolutely. I can buy anything when I’m out here.
If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?
I don’t know, because it’s all I’ve been my whole life. It’s what I’m passionate about.
If you could cook with anyone for anybody, who would it be?
If I had no boundaries, I would cook with Jean-Louis Palladin for Ozzy Osbourne.
What is something no one knows about you?
I’m a great gardener.
Fusilli with Surf Clams
SERVES 4
1 lb. fusilli pasta
6 surf clams, shucked, cleaned, sliced into bite-size pieces, juices reserved
4 oz. parsley leaves
1 jalapeño, sliced into rings
3 tbsp. olive oil, plus more to finish
Salt and pepper to taste
10 oz. tomato sauce
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add jalapeño with a pinch of salt and heat slowly until softened. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta one minute less than the package directions. Add to the tomato sauce with the parsley. Simmer sauce for one minute to reduce slightly. Add clams and 2 tbsp. reserved clam juice. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve in warmed pasta bowls.
For the tomato sauce
6 15 oz. cans of whole San Marzano tomatoes
1 Spanish onion, diced small
1 carrot, peeled and grated on a microplane
1 piece celery, grated on a microplane
2 tbsp. of garlic, finely chopped
4 tbsp. of olive oil
Salt and pepper
In a large saucepot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly heat vegetables until soft. Add tomatoes, crushing them as you add them to the pan. Cook over low heat for one hour, stirring often. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, cool, and reserve.
Read the Article at Hamptons-Magazine.com HERE.
