<i> Ragu </i> of the Sea

For those of us trying to eat less meat, an easy way to do it is to make spaghetti sauces with fish instead. You can use the same flavorings as in meaty spaghetti sauces, but you have to modify the cooking method and shorten the cooking time.

As a result, the sauce is prepared in reverse order. In old-fashioned spaghetti sauces, the meat is cooked first, but for a sauce based on seafood, the fish or shellfish is added last.

Another result is that seafood spaghetti sauces are speedy. There is no need for lengthy simmering. You simply cook together some flavorful ingredients such as tomatoes or other vegetables and herbs with a little olive oil. If you like, you can enhance the taste with wine, bottled clam juice or fish stock.

Any fish and almost any shellfish can be used to make these sauces. Tiny shrimp can be added whole; scallops can be quartered. For a luxurious seafood sauce, you could use crab or lobster meat.

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Even canned fish can become glamorous when made into a tasty sauce for pasta. The Italians recognized this when they created “spaghetti con tonno ,” made with a sauce of canned tuna and tomatoes flavored with anchovies, garlic and oregano.

A small amount of smoked fish--about one-quarter or one-third as much as you would use in fresh form--also contributes a wonderful taste. For example, in linguine with salmon and leek sauce, you can use smoked salmon or lox instead of fresh salmon.

These spaghetti sauces are also delicious with all sorts of other pastas such as linguine, vermicelli, angel hair and fusilli. They provide an economical way to enjoy the taste of fish and shellfish. You don’t need a large amount of seafood, because it’s tossed with the pasta.

One last bonus: This type of sauce also happens to be one of the easiest ways to cook fish. You don’t have to worry that the fish will fall apart--it’s supposed to.

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This delicate dish is flecked with pink salmon and green leeks and parsley. No cheese is necessary; good cooks rarely serve cheese with pasta featuring a subtle fish sauce.

LINGUINE WITH SALMON AND LEEK SAUCE

1 (1-pound) salmon fillet

4 medium leeks, split, rinsed thoroughly

3 tablespoons olive oil, vegetable oil or butter

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup dry white wine

6 tablespoons whipping cream

1/2 cup bottled clam juice or fish stock

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

1/2 pound dried linguine

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Remove skin from salmon and pull out bones. Cut salmon into 1/2-inch dice.

Discard dark-green parts of leeks. Thinly slice white and light-green parts. Heat oil in large skillet. Add leeks. Add dash salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender but not brown, 7 minutes.

Add wine, cream and clam juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Add fish and sprinkle lightly to taste with salt and pepper. Add thyme. Cook, uncovered, stirring often, just until color of fish becomes lighter, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cook pasta in large pan of boiling, salted water over high heat until tender but firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer to large bowl. Reheat sauce. Pour over pasta and toss. Adjust seasonings to taste. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

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Considering the simple ingredients it uses, this quick dish is amazingly delicious. Anchovy butter is the “secret” element that gives a subtle accent to this dish and makes it memorable.

ROMAN SPAGHETTI WITH TUNA, TOMATOES AND MUSHROOMS

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

2 to 4 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 pound mushrooms, sliced

Salt

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped, or 1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped

Freshly ground pepper

3/4 pound dried spaghetti

1 (6 1/2-ounce) can tuna, drained and flaked

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Beat anchovy paste with butter in small bowl until blended. Set aside at room temperature.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and dash salt. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add about 1/3 of garlic and saute 30 seconds. Transfer to plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over medium heat. Stir in remaining garlic, tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until thick, 12 to 15 minutes.

Cook pasta in large pan of boiling, salted water over high heat until tender but firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving little pasta water. Transfer pasta to large bowl. Add anchovy butter and toss.

Reheat tomato sauce. Stir in tuna and mushroom mixture. If sauce is too thick, add 1 to 3 tablespoons pasta water, 1 tablespoon at time. Adjust seasonings to taste. Spoon sauce over spaghetti. Serve sprinkled with parsley. Makes 4 to 5 servings.