Cook like a Michelin-starred chef at home with these delicious recipes

▲ Wide Flat Pasta with Meat Sauce

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan, Taipei

Want to show your love this Mother’s Day by cooking yourself? HowToTrip’s trusted aquatic and livestock specialty store “Everbright Fresh” has teamed up with renowned Italian chef Marco Lotito to create three classic Italian home-style recipes using Everbright Fresh’s premium ingredients—including grouper, toxin-free white shrimp, Nezumihama eco-shrimp, Hokkaido sashimi-grade scallops, and Everbright Lean Pork low-fat ground meat.

The three Italian home-style recipes are seafood risotto with green pesto, grouper fillet with cauliflower white sauce, and wide flat pasta with meat sauce. Chef Marco has adapted these from his mother’s traditional Italian recipes, preserving the warmth and authenticity of Italian home cooking.


▲ Seafood Risotto with Green Pesto

The three Italian home-style recipes are as follows:

Seafood Risotto with Green Pesto
◎ Main Ingredients: Hokkaido Sashimi-Grade Scallops (Grade S), Everbright Nezumihama Eco-Shrimp or Toxin-Free White Shrimp, Everbright Sea Bass Stock
◎ Secondary Ingredients: Italian Rice, Canned Green Pesto
◎ Seasonings: Unsalted Butter, Cheese Powder, Olive Oil, Thyme, Garlic, Natural Sea Salt, Black Pepper
◎ Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan over low heat and lightly toast the Italian rice.
2. Add enough stock to just cover the rice. Once the liquid is slightly absorbed, add more stock. Repeat until the rice is half-cooked.
3. Stir in shrimp, green pesto, salt, butter, Parmesan cheese powder, and black pepper. Mix quickly until the rice is al dente with a slight bite. (Taste and adjust as needed.)
4. Pat the scallops dry, then sear them on high heat with thyme and garlic until golden. Plate and serve.
◎ Chef’s Tips:
Italian rice is less likely to turn mushy during cooking. Carnaroli rice variety gives the best texture. Using ready-made green pesto and stock can also save time.


▲ Grouper Fillet with Cauliflower White Sauce

Grouper Fillet with Cauliflower White Sauce
◎ Main Ingredients: Everbright Grouper Fillet, Everbright Sea Bass Stock
◎ Secondary Ingredients: Cauliflower, Spring Onion, Eggplant, Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Garlic
◎ Seasonings: Natural Sea Salt, Pepper, Spring Onion, Oregano, Thyme, Olive Oil
◎ Method:
1. Place cauliflower florets in a pot. Season with salt, pepper, and spring onion. Stir-fry over low heat until tender, then add stock and bring to a boil. Blend until smooth to make a thick sauce.
2. Sauté eggplant, cherry tomatoes, olives, spring onion until golden. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper.
3. Pan-sear the grouper fillet over high heat until the skin is crispy. Flip and add stock, garlic, and thyme. Simmer over low heat.
4. Plate and serve.
◎ Chef’s Tips:
When flipping the grilled grouper during cooking, add the broth and cover with a lid to let the steam quickly cook the thick fish fillet.

"Italian Meat Sauce Fettuccine"
◎Main Ingredients: Anyong Fresh Pork – Lean Ground Pork, Italian Flat Pasta
◎Secondary Ingredients: Celery, Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms, Onion, Carrot, Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
◎Seasonings: Butter, Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, Tomato Paste, White Wine, Natural Sea Salt, Bay Leaf, Olive Oil
◎Method:
1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water until softened.
2. Dice the celery, carrot, fresh shiitake mushrooms, and onion, then sauté them over low heat in olive oil until tender.
3. Add the ground pork, bay leaf, and dried shiitake mushrooms, and stir-fry over medium heat until golden brown.
4. Add the tomato paste and simmer until boiling, then transfer to an electric rice cooker and stew for 2 hours.
5. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add plenty of salt, then add the Italian pasta.
6. Combine the sauce and pasta in a pan, stir-fry over low heat, and finish by adding butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese before serving.
◎Chef’s Tips:
"Adding salt to the pasta water" is the best time to season the Italian noodles during cooking, and it also prevents the pasta from becoming too sticky while maintaining a good texture.