Bordered by three seas and with roughly 5,000 miles of coastline, seafood plays the leading role in many of Italy's classic dishes. Italians know seafood pasta as "frutti di mare," which means "fruits of the sea." While the types of fish incorporated may vary from region to region, the basic premise of the dish is a bounty of seafood cooked in a light tomato sauce with fresh herbs and served over pasta.
Step 1
Set a large pot filled with water on the stove over high heat. Add a small handful of salt to the water and cover. Allow the water to come to a full, rolling boil. Add the pasta to the pot and cook according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup liquid, and set aside.
Step 2
Pour enough olive oil in the bottom of a large skillet to coat it, and set over medium heat. Add the garlic when the oil begins to shimmer and cook for two to three minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic begins to soften. Do not allow the garlic to brown or burn, as it will become very bitter.
Step 3
Add the tomatoes, along with the juices from the can, and the wine to the skillet, and bring to a boil. Add the calamari to the pan and stir to combine. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and bring it to a simmer. Cook the calamari for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender.
Step 4
Turn the heat up to medium and add the clams and mussels to the pan. Cover and cook for roughly 10 minutes, or until the clams and mussels begin to open their shells.
Step 5
Add the shrimp, basil and parsley to the pan and cook for an additional three to five minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp, or until the shrimp becomes opaque and turns bright pink.
Step 6
Remove the pan from the heat and discard any clams and mussels with unopened shells. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper.
Step 7
Place the pasta in a large serving dish and top with the sauce and seafood. Add some of the reserved cooking water if the pasta seems too dry.
Tips and Warnings
- Experiment with different combinations until you find the one that you like best. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse uses rock shrimp, crab and mussels in his seafood pasta, while Rocco DiSpirito combines jumbo shrimp with lobster tails in his version of this classic dish.
- Check your clams and mussels to be sure they are fresh and alive before cooking. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that you discard any clams or mussels with cracked or broken shells, and that you check any whose shells have opened by tapping on the shell. If the clam or mussel does not close the shell, discard it.
Things You'll Need
- Large pot with tight-fitting lid
- Kosher or sea salt
- 1 lb. spaghetti or fettucine pasta
- Large heavy-bottomed skillet
- Olive oil
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1, 32-oz. can plum or Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 lb. calamari, cleaned and cut into rings
- 16 Littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 16 mussels, debearded and scrubbed
- 1/2 lb. small shrimp
- 3 tbsp. fresh, chopped basil
- 3 tbsp. fresh, chopped flat-leaf or Italian parsley
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Crushed red pepper
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