Spaghetti del Pescatore (Fisherman’s Spaghetti) is the kind of simple dish that makes Italian food so enticing. I have adapted a recipe I tasted on the tiny island of Elba off the western coast of Italy. This recipe uses mussels and shrimp, but any shellfish including clams or lobster may be substituted.

The accompanying salad uses fennel, a pale green bulb with darker, feathery leaves. It has a similar texture to celery and a very mild licorice flavor.

Shortcut tip: Omit the Celery and Fennel Salad and use a washed, ready-to-eat Italian-style salad instead.

• You can find crushed red pepper in the spice section of the supermarket.

• Wash mussels under cold water. Tap mussels that are open to see if they will close. Discard any that remain open.

• You can find minced garlic in the produce section of most markets.

• Slice the celery and fennel in a food processor using the thin slicing blade.

• A quick way to chop fennel leaves is to snip them with a scissors.

• Place water for pasta on to boil.

• Make salad and let marinate.

To buy: 1 pound fresh mussels, 3/4 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, 1 bottle crushed red pepper, 1 bottle dry white wine, 1 bottle/can low-sodium, low-fat tomato sauce*, 1 package spaghetti, 1 bunch parsley, 1 bunch celery, 1 small fennel bulb.

Staples: olive oil, minced garlic, reduced-fat vinaigrette dressing**, salt, black peppercorns.

SPAGHETTI DEL PESCATORE (FISHERMAN'S SPAGHETTI)

3/4 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

1 cup low-sodium, low-fat tomato sauce*

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 ounces spaghetti (1 rounded cup cooked)

Place a large saucepan filled with water on to boil for pasta. Scrub mussels and place in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cover with a lid and cook until shells open, about 2 minutes, shaking pan several times. Remove mussels to a bowl, leaving the juice in the pan. Discard any mussels that are not open. (If juice is sandy, strain through a sieve lined with paper towels.) Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and white wine to the skillet. Boil to reduce liquid for about 1 minute. Lower heat to medium and add shrimp and tomato sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes or until shrimp are pink; remove from heat. Sprinkle with parsley and add salt and pepper to taste. Return mussels to skillet and set aside, covered.

Cook spaghetti in boiling water for 8 to 9 minutes. Drain and toss with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a plate and top with shrimp and mussel sauce.

Per serving: 548 calories, 91 calories from fat, 10.1 g total fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 4.2 g monounsaturated fat, 278 mg cholesterol, 483 mg sodium, 50.3 g carbohydrate, 3.8 g dietary fiber, 8.3 g sugars, 50.8 g protein.

Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1/2 carbohydrate, 6 lean meat.

2 celery stalks (about 1 cup sliced)

1 small fennel bulb (about 2 cups sliced)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove leaves from celery and fennel. Chop some of the fennel leaves to make about 2 tablespoons chopped leaves. Thinly slice, paper thin if possible, the celery and fennel. Place in a bowl and add the dressing. Toss well. Sprinkle chopped fennel leaves on top

Per serving: 46 calories, 11 calories from fat, 1.2 g total fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 0.4 g monounsaturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 8.5 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g dietary fiber, 1.6 g sugars, 1.5 g protein.

• Look for low-salt tomato sauce containing per cup (8 ounces): 103 calories, .5 g fat, 21.3 g carbohydrate, 21 mg sodium.

• Look for reduced-fat vinaigrette or oil and vinegar dressing containing per tablespoon: 11 calories, 1.0 g fat, 4 mg sodium.

From “Fast and Flavorful: Great Diabetes Meals from Market to Table” by Linda Gassenheimer, published by the American Diabetes Association.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

Sign up to receive news directly to your desktop. Click the bell icon in the nav bar, at any time to change your settings.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

Would you like to receive our breaking news?

A weekly note from our editor about the inner workings of the newsroom.

Would you like to receive our news updates?

An independent source of exclusive news and insight about state government delivered conveniently by email each Friday to subscribers.

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.