Seafood Pasta

Looking for a seafood pasta that’s worthy of your favourite restaurant? This one’s rich, buttery and surprisingly easy to make at home.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Deep Pan & Wooden Spoon
Large Pot & Tongs (for cooking pasta)
Paper Towels (for drying seafood)

Ingredients

10.5oz / 300g Linguine
9oz / 250g raw peeled Jumbo King Shrimp/Prawns (see notes)
5oz / 150g Calamari
5 tbsp / 75g Butter
4 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes (adjust to spice preference)
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup / 120ml Dry White Wine
20 Mussels (see notes)
2 Tomatoes, diced (~5oz/150g total)
1 Roasted Red Pepper, diced (see notes)
1 small bunch of Fresh Parsley, large stalks removed then finely diced
1 Lemon, zested
Salt, as needed
Olive Oil, as needed

Instructions

Add the pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
Keeping them separate, pat the prawns and calamari dry to remove excess moisture. Season both with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Add a drizzle of oil to a large pan over high heat. Once hot, space out the prawns and leave to fry for 1 minute until light golden on one side. Flip them over, cook for another minute, then remove from the pan. Top up with oil if needed, then space out the calamari and fry for 1 minute until it begins to firm up and take on some colour. Toss a few times during. Remove and place to one side, then lower the pan heat to medium.
Melt 1 tbsp of the butter, then add the garlic, chilli flakes and black pepper and fry for 30 seconds or so (be careful it doesn't burn). Pour in the wine and bring to a rapid simmer.
Immediately add the mussels to the wine and leave to cook until they start to open up, shaking the pan now and then to encourage them. Remove the mussels as and when they open and place on a plate to one side. You'll want to reduce the wine for around 4 minutes in total, so if the mussels are all cooked before that, continue simmering the wine to reduce it down (the harsh smell of alcohol should vanish).
Lower the heat back to medium and melt in the rest of the butter. Add the tomatoes, roasted red pepper and a good pinch of salt and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring as you go.
At this point, the pasta should be al dente, so turn the pan heat to low and use tongs to transfer the pasta straight from the pot into the pan, embracing any excess pasta water that comes with it. Give it a toss, then add the parsley (save some to serve) and lemon zest and continue tossing until the liquid thickens into a light, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. The sauce shouldn't be watery at all.
Toss in the prawns and calamari, then add in the mussels, bringing any resting juices along the way. If the pasta dries out at any point, just toss in some leftover pasta water to loosen it up.
Check for seasoning and adjust (generously) if needed, then serve up with extra parsley and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Prawns/Shrimp - They won't take long to cook, hence why I only fry for 1 minute each side over high heat (to try and get some colour without them overcooking). Keep in mind they'll carry on cooking as they rest and when added back into the pan. In general, you want them to be a 'C' shape. Avoid them turning into an 'O' shape, as this means they're overcooked.

b) Calamari - Again, you don't want to fry this long, just because it'll carry on cooking after it's fried. The frying stage is mainly to just about cook them through, but also a chance to develop some colour (extra flavour).

c) Mussels prep - You can get mussels in supermarkets/fish mongers, typically served in packs. Most will already be prepped, but if you notice any that need to be scrubbed, do so with a dishwashing scrub under COLD water (otherwise they'll start to cook/open). If they have any wiry bits (i.e. beard), just use your fingers to pull them off.

d) Cooking the mussels - The mussels are cooked as soon as they open up. I like to use 20 mussels (12oz/350g), which ideally results in at least 4 per person. Some might not open; I typically just discard those (they're safe to eat but you'll need to ply them open).

e) Roasted Red Pepper - I typically buy a jar of roasted red peppers and use one of those. These work great because you get the added flavour of the brine too. You could use a fresh pepper; you just need to char it all over on the stove or under the broiler/grill. Then, place in a bowl and tightly cover in cling film. You can then remove the aggressive bits of char once the pepper cools.

f) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4.

Nutrition