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Sunday Dinner: Seafood Linguini

seafood pasta

Sunday dinners have always been a big deal in my house. Italians never need an excuse to overcook, but Sundays have always been a time when you go a little extra on the dinner menu. It’s a time for family, food and relaxation. I can remember Sundays at my grandmother’s where she would have meatballs, lasagna, a few roasted chickens, roasted potatoes, sausage, various cheeses, garlic bread, a huge salad and then still make spaghetti just in case… no-one could ever leave her house hungry. And, that was just the main course. She would always have multiple pies, apple squares and ice cream.

My mom continued this tradition and we always had pasta, roasted chicken and potatoes on Sundays. It’s funny thinking back now because I would get so aggravated with having the same thing each week. Ha. What a brat I was. Of course you never appreciate those things in the moment. My kids will probably say the same thing.

This week I wanted something extra so I opted for a family favorite, Seafood Linguini (or Frutti di Mare, the direct translation is Fruit of the Sea or simply, seafood).

I always base what seafood I use in the pasta by what looks fresh, not frozen or farmed (if possible).

Some good options are: Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, Lobster, Scallops, Squid.

Lobster tails work well, but being able to cook the entire lobster and keep some of the broth (or boil) used to steam them adds a layer of flavor to the sauce. The recipe below doesn’t include the lobster.

Frutti di Mare

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb clams cleaned well 
  • 1 lb mussels cleaned well
  • 1 lb wild shrimp peeled
  • 1/2 lb squid tentacles *optional 
  • 1/4 c  good extra virgin olive oil (evoo) 
  • 4-5 cloves garlic grated
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes + more to taste
  • 1/2 c white wine
  • 1/3 c fresh basil leaves or chopped Italian parsley
  • 3/4 lb spaghetti or linguini noodles (homemade are best) 
  • 1 batch tomato sauce made in advance
  • sea salt to taste
  • freshly grated parmesan

seafood pasta

Instructions:

  1. Warm Sauce or keep warm (if you just made it)
  2. Heat your largest skillet on medium low flame.
  3. Add olive oil, the garlic and red pepper flakes. You want the garlic to be fragrant but not burnt, stir quickly. Add in the clams and mussels and toss them around. *can add a tab of butter to make extra rich
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until Al Dente.
  5. Pour in the wine and cover with a lid. Cook until the clams start to open.
  6. Add the shrimp to the skillet with clams and give it a stir. Cover and cook for another minute, shrimp should be barely pink, and can have some grey.
  7. Once all the clams and mussels have opened and the shrimp is almost cooked, add the squid tentacles. Cook another 30 seconds or so until they curl up.
  8. Pour the sauce over the seafood and toss to coat well.
  9. Add the pasta to the skillet with the seafood and toss to coat.
  10. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with some evoo and sprinkle with the basil and parmesan.
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