Pasta Aligue (Crab Fat) and Shrimps

   

What’s your comfort food? I have a lot but, anything that’s cooked with fruits of  the sea is comfort enough for me. As far as vim and the palate could get – a fusion between flavors – I think pasta and a mix of a Filipino favorite would be a hit. Thus, the aligue or what we endearingly call taba ng talangka (crab fat) has found a following among foodies….despite and in spite of the calorie content it will add to any dish.

And for some expats, bringing a precious bottle of this back from a Philippine vacation is a must (read: hubby and I). The aligue has become synonymous to our bagoong (shrimp paste) in a certain level. ^_^

So here’s an attempt to introduce aligue in a presentable manner – not in a spoon or alongside egg and rice – which is a usual breakfast fare in our kitchen. (Quite a long overdue post).

What you’ll need:

250 grams Fettucine (or linguine, cooked until al dente)

300 grams cocktail shrimps

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium red onion, chopped ( I used red onion to add color and tang but white would be definitely fine)

chopped parsley

half a jar of Aligue (the 250gram jar)

half a lemon (calamansi would be ideal…but…)

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Cook Fettucine per package directions and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Saute garlic a bit and add red onions. Add bits of parsley and mix. Set on a dish.

3. Heat the remaining olive oil and cook shrimps. Add the previous mixture of garlic, shallots and parsley along with aligue.

4. Toss in the cooked pasta and remove from heat. Serve hot, squeeze a wee bit lemon on and garnish with more parsley.

On those very rare occasions that hubby and I have little spats I heed an age-old advice “the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” – sometimes it proves true, sometimes it doesn’t…I will try its effectiveness again with this dish tomorrow.