Ingredients

• 8 oz uncooked spaghetti
• 1 6- to 8-ounce can tuna in olive oil (Ventresca, if budget and opportunity allow), drained
• Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1/2 clove garlic, peeled
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt or ¼ tsp table salt, or to taste
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup packed arugula

Directions

1 Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta and, once boiling, add the spaghetti, cooking following the package instructions, though it’s best to check 2 minutes before it should be ready.

2 While that’s cooking, fork the drained tuna into a large bowl, and add the lemon zest and juice and grate in (or mince and add) the garlic.

3 Still using your fork, add and mix in the sliced scallions, then season to taste with the red pepper flakes and salt and, finally, add the extra-virgin olive oil, beating with your fork to combine.

4 Before draining the spaghetti, scoop out a little pasta-cooking liquid and reserve, then toss the drained pasta into the bowl of tuna, scallions, etc., and mix together really well, adding a spoonful or so of pasta-cooking water to bring some starchy creaminess to the sauce.

5 Add the arugula leaves and gently work them through the pasta before dividing it between two bowls.

Prep and cook time: 20 minutes.
Serves 2.

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Excerpted from Nigellissima. Copyright © 2013 Nigella Lawson. Published by Knopf Canada, an imprint of the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group, which is a division of Random House of Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.