Seafood lovers, this gourmet seafood pasta is for you. It’s a seriously delicious, restaurant-level meal that coats pasta and fresh seafood in a silky white wine pan sauce. It looks and tastes sophisticated but comes together in just 45 minutes.
This seafood pasta recipe combines two of my family’s favorites: fresh seafood and creamy pasta. One bite and it immediately became a fancy-ish dish we craved constantly. Now, it has a permanent spot on our weeknight dinner menu, alongside my Linguine with Clam Sauce and my Garlic Shrimp Pasta.
Pasta with Seafood
Seafood pasta is a staple on the menu at most coastal Italian restaurants, usually listed as Pasta alla Pescatora, Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare, or Spaghetti allo Scoglio. It’s a ridiculously delicious dish that, in its most traditional form, tosses whatever fresh catch came off the boats that morning with garlic, olive oil, white wine, and pasta. Nothing fancy needed—the shellfish’s natural briny juices create a clean, deeply savory sauce that feels like a masterpiece.
But making seafood pasta at home vs. ordering it from a restaurant are two totally different experiences. Trying to recreate that magic in your own kitchen is harder than it looks. Believe it or not, the difference is not in the ingredients but rather the techniques and timing used to get the meal to that fine dining standard.
My seafood pasta recipe teaches you insider tips for building a proper flavor base right from the start, nailing perfectly cooked seafood every single time, and finishing the dish the way we chefs actually do. I made this with shrimp, scallops, mussels, and clams, but you can use any variety of fresh seafood you love. If you’ve got a salmon fillet, a piece of halibut, a stray lobster tail, or even some calamari hanging around, they’re all fair game.
Even though this recipe easily makes enough food for 4 people, the 2 of us who shot the recipe video practically demolished the entire pot by ourselves. It’s literally seafood heaven!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Pulling off restaurant-worthy creamy seafood pasta starts with high-quality ingredients, including the absolute freshest seafood you can find. Here’s what I used, along with a few substitution ideas.
For the seafood
- Any size scallops will work but I like using 40/60-count scallops. Dry-packed scallops are best, as it’s nearly impossible to get a good sear on wet scallops. Frozen scallops are also perfectly fine.
- Shrimp – I used 16/20-count shell-on, tail-on shrimp. Don’t be afraid to buy bags of raw, frozen shrimp. Most “fresh” shrimp at the counter are shipped frozen and thawed out anyway.
- Live Mussels – look for with tightly closed shells that smell like clean ocean water.
- Clams, Littleneck or Manila are good choices because they’re small, sweet, and cook quickly. Cockles also work well here.
For the pasta and sauce
- Olive oil to sear the scallops and shrimp, then unsalted butter to sauté my aromatics and mount the white wine sauce.
- Shallots, garlic, and a Fresno pepper form the foundational flavor.
- Pasta – I especially like bucatini pasta, as its hollow center traps the sauce. Spaghetti, fettuccine, tagliatelle, or linguine are all great substitutes.
- Dry white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
- Chicken stock is simmered with the leftover shrimp and scallop scraps to infuse it with deep-sea flavor.
- Parmigiano Reggiano – Grated straight from the block, of course.
- Fresh parsley adds a pop of freshness.
- Cherry tomatoes are optional, but I like how they add a fresh, acidic sweetness that helps balance the rich seafood.
How to Make Seafood Pasta
Prepare the seafood: Remove the byssus threads (AKA the “beard”) from the mussels, scrub the clams and mussels under cold running water, and then submerge both in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes. Tap on the open shells, then discard any that don’t snap shut.
Next, peel and devein the shrimp and remove the foot (a small, tough adductor muscle) from each scallop. Do not throw these away! Watch my video below to see how I use these scraps to enhance the flavor of my Homemade Chicken Stock.
Sear the scallops: Sear the scallops in a rondeau pot until they’re just browned. Set aside.
Sear the shrimp: Add the shrimp to the empty pot and cook until they turn pink. Add them to the plate with the scallops.
Sauté the aromatics: Melt the butter in the empty pot, add the shallots and garlic, and sauté until fragrant.
Cook the pasta: At this point, you can either cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water while you work on the rest of the components, or parboil the pasta, drain the water, and rinse it under cold water. Just toss the noodles with a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking, then set them aside until you need them.
Add the peppers: Now that the aromatics are lightly browned, add the Fresno peppers to the pot.
Cook the mussels and clams: Add the mussels and clams to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, then deglaze with the wine and stock. Cover and steam until the shells open up.
Finish with butter: Take the pot off the heat and add the butter. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Combine: Add the cooked pasta, Parmigiano Reggiano, and parsley to the pot. Mix to coat the pasta.
Fold in the seafood: Now fold the cooked seafood and cherry tomatoes into the pasta.
Serve: Serve the warm seafood pasta with lemon zest, red pepper flakes, extra Parmigiano Reggiano, and more fresh parsley on top.
Seafood cooking times
Because we’re combining everything in the hot pan at the end, I recommend slightly undercooking the seafood during the initial sear/steam to avoid overcooking it. Use these searing and steaming times as a guide:
- Scallops – Seared for 20 to 30 seconds per side just to get color.
- Shrimp – Seared for 45 seconds per side or until they turn pink and form a loose “C” shape.
- Mussels and clams – Steamed for about 5 minutes or until the shells pop open.
Chef Tip + Notes
Even though this recipe isn’t all that difficult, it moves fast, so I recommend practicing mise en place. Trust me, by having your seafood cleaned, aromatics chopped, liquids measured, and cheese grated before turning on the stove, you’ll have a much more enjoyable time in the kitchen.
- If you aren’t cooking the fresh clams and mussels the day you buy them, place them in a colander set inside a larger bowl, cover with ice, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days. After that, toss ‘em.
- Frozen seafood alternative: As I mentioned, frozen shrimp and scallops are often just as fresh as the stuff at the counter. Just thaw them in the refrigerator before cooking. You can also use pre-cooked and frozen clams and mussels. Just toss them right in the pot without cleaning or thawing first.
- Before you drain all of the pasta cooking water, scoop out about 1 cup and set it aside. If your sauce looks a little dry after tossing it with the pasta and cheese, add a splash of water to instantly loosen it up and make it silky.
Serving Suggestions
I like serving this gourmet pasta family-style in a large serving bowl set in the middle of the table alongside a basket of warm garlic bread. I’ll also toss together a massive classic Caesar salad for everyone to share.
And if you like a cooked veggie on the table with every meal some simple sautéed broccolini or this lemony sautéed asparagus both pair nicely with the rich pasta and seafood.
My favorite way to finish this pasta off is with my Ricotta Olive Oil Cake. It’s moist, flavorful, and adds to the Italian restaurant charm of this meal.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: This pasta is meant to be served right away. If I need to keep it warm before serving, I’ll cover the pot and keep it over low heat for 15 to 30 minutes.
How to Store: Within 2 hours of cooking, I’ll cover the leftover pasta and seafood and store it in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Leftover seafood doesn’t store well, so I try to eat the leftovers sooner rather than later.
How to Reheat: I reheat the seafood and creamy pasta in a large covered pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. To loosen the sauce, I’ll toss it with a splash of stock or water as needed.
More Pasta Recipes
Seafood Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces 40/60 scallops, side muscle removed
- 1 pound, peeled and deveined 16/20 shrimp
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 peeled small-diced shallot
- 6 finely minced garlic cloves
- 1 pound bucatini pasta
- 1 seeded small-diced Fresno pepper
- 1 pound scrubbed and rinsed fresh mussels, byssus threads removed
- 12 scrubbed and rinses fresh clams
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- ¼ cup finely minced fresh parsley
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half, optional
- optional garnishes: zest of ½ lemon, crushed red pepper flakes, finely grated
- Parmigiano Reggiano, and finely minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat the scallops and shrimp dry well with paper towels. Keep them separate.
- Add the olive oil to a large saucier or rondeau pot over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is smoking in the pan, add them in, spread them out, and immediately season them with salt. Sear for 20 to 30 seconds per side or just until browned.
- Set them aside on a plate. Return the pan to the burner over medium heat, add the shrimp, spread them out, season with salt, and cook for 45 seconds per side or until pink and just before being cooked completely through. They should be in a loose C shape. Set them aside with the scallops.
- Next, add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan along with the shallots and garlic, and cook over low to medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
- In the meantime, drop the bucatini pasta as it will take 9 to 11 minutes to cook. If you are worried there are too many things going on at once, you can par-boil, drain, cool with cold water, and coat in oil until you need them.
- Return to the pan with shallots and garlic, they should be lightly browned. Add in the Fresno peppers and sauté over medium heat for 1 minute.
- Add the mussels and clams, then saute for 1 minute. Deglaze with white wine, add the stock, season with salt, and cover the pot for 4 to 5 minutes, or just until the shellfish have opened.
- Set the shellfish aside, and in the pan, add the butter and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
- Once melted, the pasta should be done cooking, so add it to the pot along with the Parmigiano and parsley. If you precooked the pasta, just reheat it briefly in some boiling water for 20 seconds, then add it to the pot.
- Vigorously mix the pasta until it is coated in the sauce and emulsified.
- Next, toss back in the cooked seafood back in and fold until combined. At this point, you can fold in the tomatoes.
- Serve the pasta in the pot or in a large bowl with additional optional garnishes of lemon zest, red pepper flakes, Parmigiano, and parsley.
Seafood Pasta Recipe