This irresistible seafood pasta brings restaurant-quality dining straight to your kitchen in just 20 minutes. Packed with 29g of protein and perfectly balanced flavors, it’s a satisfying one-dish meal that feels special enough for date night yet simple enough for weekday dinners.
The rich, creamy sauce coats every strand of pasta while letting the delicate seafood flavors shine through. With only 692 calories per serving, you’ll love how this elegant dish manages to be both indulgent and reasonably healthy.
Elegant Seafood Pasta – Essential Ingredients
- Pasta Base: 1 lb linguine (or spaghetti/fettuccine) – ensure al dente texture
- Seafood Medley: ½ lb each of shrimp, scallops, mussels, and clams – thoroughly cleaned
- Sauce Foundation: 4 Tbsp butter, shallot, 4 garlic cloves – fresh ingredients recommended
- Liquid Elements: ¾ cup white wine, 1¼ cups cream – room temperature for best results
- Finishing Touches: Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, fresh parsley – freshly grated cheese preferred
Step-by-Step Preparation Guide
- Pasta Preparation: Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water
- Seafood Sauté: Season and cook shrimp and scallops until perfectly opaque (about 2 minutes per side)
- Aromatics Base: Sauté shallots and garlic in butter until fragrant and tender
- Shell Fish Magic: Steam mussels and clams in wine until shells open beautifully
- Cream Sauce Creation: Combine cream, bouillon, and Parmesan until silky smooth
- Grand Finale: Toss pasta in sauce, add seafood, garnish with zest and parsley
Cooking Techniques
This seafood pasta brings together several simple cooking methods that create amazing flavors! When cooking your seafood, watch for visual cues – shrimp turns pink and scallops become opaque when ready. For perfectly cooked shellfish, remove them as soon as their shells open.
The sauce-making technique, where we build flavors starting with butter and shallots, then wine, and finally cream, creates a rich and smooth texture. Don’t skip patting the scallops dry – this helps them get a nice golden color when cooking!
Variations & Substitutions
You can easily adjust this recipe to match what’s fresh at your market! If you can’t find some of the seafood, try these swaps:
- Replace mussels or clams with extra shrimp
- Use any long pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine
- Swap heavy cream with half-and-half for a lighter sauce
- No shallots? Use finely diced onion instead
- Replace white wine with chicken broth plus a splash of lemon juice
Serving Suggestions
Serve this beautiful seafood pasta right away while it’s hot! Add a chunk of crusty bread on the side to soak up the amazing sauce. A simple green salad with light vinaigrette makes the perfect side dish.
For extra flavor, place some lemon wedges on the table – a fresh squeeze brings all the flavors to life! Keep some extra grated Parmesan nearby for anyone who wants more cheese.
Storage Tips
Seafood pasta is best eaten fresh, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. When reheating, add a splash of cream or milk to bring the sauce back to life, and warm gently over low heat.
Skip the microwave if possible – it can make the seafood tough. Note that shellfish might become a bit chewy when reheated, so try to make just what you’ll eat in one sitting!
Seafood Pasta
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb linguine noodles or spaghetti or fettucine
- 4 Tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1/2 lb scallops patted dry
- 1/2 lb mussels cleaned and beards removed
- 1/2 lb clams
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 shallot diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream half and half or milk
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese divided
- lemon zest from ½ of a lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley plus more for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain noodles but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, season shrimp and scallops with a pinch of salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and scallops and cook for about 2 minutes per side (until shrimp is pink and both are opaque), then transfer to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to skillet. Add shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a simmer, cooking for a few minutes.
- Add clams and mussels then cover with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, until shells open. Remove mussels and clams to the plate with the other seafood (discard any shells that didn’t open).
- Stir 1 teaspoon cornstarch into the cream. Add cream mixture, bouillon, and ¾ cup of the parmesan to the pan and cook until sauce has slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- Add pasta and lemon zest and toss to coat. Add seafood. Garnish with parsley and remaining parmesan. Enjoy.
