Seafood Fettuccine (Frutti Di Mare)

I don’t know about you guys but whenever I’m at an Italian restaurant or any restaurant that has frutti di mare, I always order it — it never fails. I’m the biggest seafood lover and a sucker for a fresh light tomato sauce. Not only is this dish absolutely delicious but it is so eye appealing. I love making this dish especially when we have company over because (1. Who doesn’t like seafood? & 2. This looks like its so fancy, but it’s so simple! & 3. It’s always a HIT!) Don’t let all of the components of this dish intimidate you. It is simple to make, absolutely delicious and is always a hit whenever I make it. Serve it with some delicious fresh baked bread and your favorite glass of wine and enjoy! 

Ingredients:

• 8 large basil leaves (jullienned cut = about 1/3 cup)
• 1/8 cup of fresh minced flat leaf parsley
• 8 medium/large sized sea scallops
• 12 littleneck clams
• 16 mussels
• 8 large raw shrimp (peeled, deveined and tails removed)
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of salted butter
• 3/4 cup of dry white wine
• 2 heaping tablespoons of fresh minced garlic
• 1/3 cup of clam juice
• 1 lb of fettuccine pasta
• 1 1/3 cup of crushed tomatoes
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
• 2/3 cup of pasta water (reserved and put to side before draining)

Directions:

1. Put large pot of water over high heat, add a generous pinch of kosher salt and bring to a boil.
2. Pat scallops dry with paper town. Lightly sprinkle kosher salt on each side of scallops. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large frying pan and place over medium/high heat. Once pan is hot, add in scallops and sear about 2 minutes on each side. Turn heat off and set scallops aside onto dish.
3. Now, pat shrimp dry. In the same frying pan, add in an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set over medium heat. Once pan is hot add in shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes per side. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside onto same dish with scallops.
4. Add butter into pan and set over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add in garlic and cook until lightly golden. Once golden, add in white wine and clam juice. Add clams and mussels directly into pan and cover with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes or until clams and mussel shells are completely opened. Once they are opened, remove pan from heat and set scallops and mussels aside onto dish. Keep the juices in the pan!
5. At this point, your water should be boiling. Add in pasta and cook until ‘aldente’ (about 12-13 minutes).
6. Place the same large pan with clam juices back onto a burner over medium heat. Add in crushed tomatoes, basil, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, pepper, onion powder and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir. Once it is simmering, dump all of the seafood (with their juices, if any) directly into the pan and gently mix around.
7. Once the pasta is done boiling, remove from heat. Before draining, add 2/3 cups of hot pasta water directly into pan of seafood with tomato sauce. Stir again. Now drain the pasta.
8. Remove seafood from tomato sauce and place on a dish. Add the pasta directly into the pan of tomato sauce. Taste and season to your liking if needed.
9. Plate the pasta and add seafood on top.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Serves: 3-4 people