Seafood Marinara Pasta (Printable version)

A classic Italian dish with fresh seafood and rich tomato sauce served on tender pasta.

# Needed ingredients:

→ Seafood

01 - 7 oz large shrimp, peeled and deveined
02 - 7 oz mussels, cleaned and debearded
03 - 5 oz squid rings
04 - 5 oz sea scallops

→ Pasta

05 - 12 oz spaghetti or linguine

→ Marinara Sauce

06 - 2 tbsp olive oil
07 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
08 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
09 - ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
10 - 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
11 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
12 - ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp dry white wine
13 - 1 tsp dried oregano
14 - 1 tsp dried basil
15 - ½ tsp sugar
16 - Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

17 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
18 - Lemon wedges, to serve

# How to make it:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti or linguine following package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water.
02 - Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large deep skillet. Add finely chopped onion and cook 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Stir in minced garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking another minute.
03 - Pour dry white wine into the skillet and simmer for 2 minutes, allowing it to reduce slightly.
04 - Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir thoroughly and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Introduce squid rings and scallops to the sauce, simmer for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and mussels, cover skillet, and cook 3 to 4 minutes until shrimp turn pink and mussels open. Discard any mussels that remain closed.
06 - Incorporate drained pasta into the sauce, gently tossing to coat evenly. Use reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce to desired consistency.
07 - Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately garnished with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but your actual hands-on time is closer to 45 minutes.
  • The seafood stays tender and doesn't turn rubbery the way it does when you overthink it.
  • One pot means less cleanup, and the pasta soaks up all that briny, tomatoey goodness.
02 -
  • Mussels and clams shut tight when alive and open when cooked; if any refuse to open after cooking, they were already dead before you started, so discard them without guilt.
  • Overcooking seafood, even by two minutes, transforms it from tender to rubbery—set a timer and don't wander off to check your phone.
  • Pasta water is liquid gold; that starch is what makes the sauce cling instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
03 -
  • Add a splash of seafood stock or clam juice with the tomatoes if you want the sauce to taste like it came from the ocean itself.
  • Don't rinse the pasta after draining it; the starch clinging to it is what helps the sauce stick.
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