This light and flavorful seafood pasta features mussels, clams, and shrimp in a garlicky tomato sauce that highlights the fresh, briny sweetness of shellfish.
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About This Recipe
Full of fresh briny flavors, this seafood pasta is a celebration of the ocean, combining fresh mussels, clams and shrimp with a light tomato sauce.
Shellfish cooks quickly, making it perfect for weeknight dinners and is impressive enough for a more elegant dinner. If you’re new to working with shellfish, check out my guides on how to clean clams and how to clean mussels to make prep a breeze.
📋 Ingredients
- White wine: Use a dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, to add depth to the sauce and avoid anything too sweet.
- Clams and mussels: Make sure the clams and mussels are cleaned thoroughly and discard any with cracked shells or those that don’t close when tapped.
- Shrimp: Look for medium sized shrimp that are already shelled and deveined to save time.
- Passata (strained tomatoes): Passata provides a smooth and light tomato base. If you can’t find it, substitute with canned crushed tomatoes.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
- Seafood: Swap out or add scallops or crab meat to the seafood pasta. If using scallops, add them the same time as the shrimp.
- Wine Alternative: If you prefer not to use wine, replace it with seafood stock or vegetable broth.
- No Tomato Sauce: Instead of tomato sauce, cook the seafood in a garlic butter sauce or add a ½ cup of heavy cream.
⏲️ Instructions
Saute the garlic. Sauté sliced garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil for about 1 minute. Pour in white wine and reduce slightly.
Add the mussels and clams. Add the cleaned mussels and clams to the pan, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the shells begin to open.
Add the shrimp. Add the shrimp and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp are just pink and the mussels and clams have completely opened.
Add the tomato sauce. Pour the tomato sauce in and gently stir. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is heated through.
Add the cooked pasta. Remove the shellfish and set aside. Season the sauce with Kosher salt and add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss together.
Assemble and serve. Divide the pasta among wide bowls and top each serving with the cooked mussels, clams, and shrimp. Garnish with chopped basil and serve.
📍 Recipe Tips
- Prep Before Cooking: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, as this recipe comes together fast.
- Cleaning the Clams and Mussels: This can take up to an hour, but is worth it to not bite into a piece of sand. Discard any that remain closed. Check out my guides on how to clean clams and how to clean mussels.
- Cook the Shellfish in Layers: Clams and Mussels cook a few minutes longer than shrimp, so keep an eye on it.
Serving Suggestions
Serve with crusty bread or garlic focaccia to sop up the delicious sauce. This seafood pasta is also a great addition to a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner, alongside baked clams casino and shrimp oreganata.
Pair with a crisp white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio, to complement the seafood’s briny flavors.
More Shellfish Recipes to Try
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Shellfish Pasta with Mussels and Clams
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ pound cleaned mussels
- ½ pound cleaned clams
- 6 medium-sized shrimp shelled and deveined
- 1 cup Passata strained tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Fresh basil for garnish
- ½ pound cooked linguine
Instructions
- Begin cooking linguine or pasta of choice in salted boiling water according to package directions.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the white wine and cook for 1 minute, allowing it to reduce slightly.
- Add the cleaned mussels and clams to the pan. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the shells begin to open.
- Add the shrimp and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp are just pink and the mussels and clams have completely opened.
- Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and gently stir. Continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is heated through and the shellfish are fully cooked.
- Remove the shellfish from the pan and set aside. Season the sauce with Kosher salt and add the cooked linguine to the sauce and toss until the noodles are evenly coated.
- Divide the pasta among wide bowls. Top each serving with the cooked mussels, clams, and shrimp and garnish with chopped basil and serve.
Notes
-
- Prep Before Cooking: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, as this recipe comes together fast.
- Cleaning the Clams and Mussels: This can take up to an hour, but is worth it to not bite into a piece of sand. Discard any that remain closed. Check out my guides on how to clean clams and how to clean mussels.
- Cook the Shellfish in Layers: Clams and Mussels cook a few minutes longer than shrimp, so keep an eye on it.
- Seafood: Swap out or add scallops or crab meat to the seafood pasta. If using scallops, add them the same time as the shrimp.
- No Tomato Sauce: Instead of tomato sauce, cook the seafood in a garlic butter sauce or add a ½ cup of heavy cream
- Wine Alternative: If you prefer not to use wine, replace it with seafood stock or vegetable broth.
Luv2cook says
We celebrate Feast of the Seven Fishes around here so we put this on this years menu. I have a feeling we will not wait another year to make it. It's almost like a Cioppino Pasta dish. Wonderful.