A California Chef's Seafood Pasta Recipe With Fresh Scallops, Shrimp, Mussels & Clams by Chef Gigi
Pasta and seafood is a classic combination. This easy seafood pasta recipe has scallops, mussels, shrimp and clams cooked in a tomato-based broth. You won't be able to stop eating it!
Mussels and clams taste great, but they require some special handling. You want to get live mussels and clams from the store. If the mussels or clams have open shells, tap on them. They should close, which means they’re alive and fresh enough to eat. If the mussels and clams stay open before cooking, discard them.
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 12 ounces spaghetti or other long pasta
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 2 - 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 onion, julienned
- 6 - 8 cloves garlic, cleaned and chopped small
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 can (28 ounces) San Marzano whole tomatoes, pureed in a food processor
- 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
- 1/2 pound sea scallops
- 1/2 pound clams, scrubbed
- 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
- 1/2 cup seafood stock or chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 20 springs parsley, chopped
- fresh Parmesan cheese, grated fine
Here's how to make it:
- Place a large pan big enough to hold the pasta and seafood over medium-high heat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive and half the butter. Sauté the onions for 4 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add them to the hot pan. Press them into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until browned and opaque. Remove the scallops from the pan. Set aside. Continue the same process with the shrimp. Set aside.
- Stir in the red pepper flakes. Adjust seasoning with salt and fresh ground pepper. Deglaze the pan with the wine and stock. Add the clams and the mussels. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until clams and mussels have opened. Remove the clams and mussels, and set them aside with the shrimp and scallops. Discard any shells that did not open.
- Add the pureed tomatoes. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, start the pasta in a large pot of salted water and cook according to box directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Toss the cooked pasta with remaining butter. Set aside.
- Return the shellfish back to the sauce and warm through. Add the cooked spaghetti. Toss to coat everything with the sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water and thicken by bringing to high heat.
- Slide onto a warm serving platter top with lots of Parmesan cheese and plenty of chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Pro Tips
- Live mussels and clams need to be stored in the refrigerator. They should only be stored for one to two days in open containers, covered with a damp towel. Although they live in the sea, they should not be stored in water and if any water accumulates in the container, it should be drained every day. If the clams and mussels don’t smell like the sea, or they smell off, discard them. Before cooking clams or mussels, place them in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes. This allows the shellfish to expel and ingested sand, be sure to discard the sandy water.
- Always remove the beards, the little furry bit from the flat side from mussels by pulling on the fibers toward the hinge of the mussel. You can hold the mussels with a towel to get a better grip and protect your hands.
- Scrub the shellfish with a brush under cold water to remove any dirt, sand or broken shell bits. After you have cooked the shellfish, discard any that don’t open during the cooking process, as they will not be safe to eat.
Need help converting cooking and baking measurements? Here are some handy kitchen conversion charts.
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