Shiokara Squid Peperoncino

Slice the onion. Peel and crush the garlic, and remove the germ, which burns easily.

Remove the strings from the snap peas and cut them into easy-to-eat bite-sized pieces.

Put olive oil, garlic, and the seeded dried chili into a cold pan and set it over the heat. Cook over very low heat to draw out plenty of aroma and toastiness.

Once the aroma comes out, add the shiokara.

Sauté the shiokara thoroughly at this stage. If it is undercooked the fishiness stands out even more, so cook it until the aroma turns toasty.

Before adding the onion, pour in the white wine and reduce it well. When the bubbling sound changes to a louder, popping sound, the moisture has cooked off.

Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté thoroughly. Cooking the onion until it softens removes the salty shiokara edge.

Add a little pasta cooking water and sprinkle in the paprika powder as a subtle accent.

Add the snap peas and cook for about 2 minutes, adding more cooking water if there is not enough moisture.

Cook the spaghetti in water salted to 1%. Since the shiokara is quite salty, keep it lighter than for a standard peperoncino (1.2–1.5%).

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, toss briefly, plate, and serve.