This is not your ordinary weeknight pasta. It’s a special occasion pasta. This is the type of pasta you make for someone and they immediately pull out their phones to start taking pictures. Seafood Pasta is the perfect way to impress your friends and family and its actually really easily!
Our seafood of choice is scallops and shrimp because of their similar cook times (which might we add is fast! Another reason why we love this recipe). The shrimp and scallops shouldn’t spend more than 2 minutes per side. We want them to be browned and cooked through, any longer and the scallops might be tough and the shrimp might feel like little rocks in your mouth.
Not a big shrimp or scallop fan? The recipe could be easily adapted for clams, mussels, lobster, or crab. Just know if you’re using clams and mussels those will take a bit longer and will require a lid to steam and open them up.
The sauce is a mixture of milk, chicken broth and Parmesan. Pescatarian? You can sub in vegetable broth or, even better, shrimp or fish stock. Adding a seafood based stock will just up the seafood pasta flavor! The sauce gets its creaminess from the dairy which means no need to make a roux! Just a light cream sauce that doesn’t overpower the seafood.
INGREDIENTS:
10 oz (300g) spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz (115g) shelled and deveined shrimp
8 oz (226g) Manila clams
4 oz (115g) scallops
1 can tomato sauce (28 oz/800g whole peeled tomatoes)
1 tablespoon chopped Italian basil leaves
salt to taste
1 teaspoon sugar/brown sugar
chopped Italian parsley, for garnishing
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. Drained and set aside. Blend the entire can of the whole peeled tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Set aside the sauce.
Heat up a skillet on medium heat. Add the olive oil, then add the garlic. Saute the garlic before adding the shrimp, Manila clams, and scallop. Stir to combine well with the garlic, then add the tomato sauce, basil leaves. Cook the seafood until they are almost done, add salt (to taste) and sugar. Transfer the spaghetti into the skillet, stir to mix well with the sauce. Top with the chopped parsley, serve immediately.
