This easy Seafood Pasta recipe is perfect when you want a quick and easy gourmet meal; it can be ready to eat in under 30-minutes.
Seafood Pasta is your mic drop moment.
Seafood Pasta is your mic drop moment.I can't think of a dinner that's this impressive, but also easy to make! It's one of my favorite pasta recipes to reserve for special occasions; it's light, fresh, and truly tastes gourmet.
You can mix and match whatever seafood you like but I love the combination of shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams. If you don't have fresh seafood near you, Costco has a good quality and well priced bag of frozen mixed seafood.
Don't miss my other seafood recipes like Cioppino, Shrimp and Grits, Clam Chowder and Seared Scallops.
How to make Seafood Pasta:
Cook Pasta: Cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water, until al dente. Drain noodles but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
Cook Seafood: Season shrimp and scallops with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and scallops, cooking for 2 minutes per side (shrimp should be pink and both should be opaque). Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and shallots to pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a simmer, cooking for a few minutes. Add clams and mussels then cover with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the shells open. Remove mussels and clams to the plate of seafood. Toss out any shells that didn't open.
Make Sauce: Combine cream with 1 teaspoon cornstarch, then add to pan along with bouillon and ¾ cup parmesan, stirring until sauce has slightly thickened. Taste sauce and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Toss the pasta and lemon zest in the sauce then add seafood. Garnish with parsley and more parm.
We serve this creamy seafood pasta with a side of artisan bread.
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Recipe
Seafood Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb linguine noodles , spaghetti or fettucine
- 4 Tablespoons butter , divided
- 1/2 lb uncooked shrimp , peeled and deveined
- 1/2 lb scallops , pat dry
- ½ lb mussels , cleaned and beards removed
- ½ lb clams
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 shallot , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- ¾ cup dry white wine (174g)
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream (284g), half and half or milk
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (100g), divided
- lemon zest , from ½ of a lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley (15g), plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Cook Pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions, until al dente. Drain noodles but reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.1 lb linguine noodles
- Cook Shrimp and Scallops: Season shrimp and scallops with a pinch of salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and scallops and cook for about 2 minutes per side (until shrimp is pink and both are opaque), then transfer to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.½ lb uncooked shrimp, ½ lb scallops, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, 4 Tablespoons butter
- Cook Clams and Mussels: Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to skillet. Add shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add wine and bring to a simmer, cooking for a few minutes. Add clams and mussels then cover with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, until shells open. Remove mussels and clams to the plate with the other seafood (discard any shells that didn’t open).½ lb clams, 1 shallot, 4 cloves garlic, ¾ cup dry white wine, ½ lb mussels
- Make Sauce: Stir 1 teaspoon cornstarch into the cream. Add cream mixture, bouillon, and ¾ cup of the parmesan to the pan and cook until sauce has slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.1 ¼ cups heavy cream, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste, 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Serve: Add pasta and lemon zest and toss to coat. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if needed, to thin the sauce. Add seafood. Garnish with parsley and remaining parmesan. Enjoy.¼ cup fresh chopped parsley, lemon zest
Notes
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- Add Veggies: Feel free to add in tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, sundried tomatoes, capers, or olives.
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- Seafood: Add small pieces of white fish, or calamari rings.
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- Cajun Seafood Pasta: Add a sprinkle of cajun seasoning to the shrimp and scallops while cooking.
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe December 2022. Updated May 2025.
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Excellent! And I so appreciate the metric conversion function. Thank you!
Amazing! my super picky family simply loved it
Delicious recipe overall. What is the one cup of reserved pasta water for? What do you intend for the 1/4 cup of chopped parsley? I stirred it in at the end, plus used additional parsley for garnish.
Add parsley at the end. The reserved pasta water is to add to the sauce, to thin it, if needed.
The seafood pasta is the very best I have ever had. This will be our 4th year making this for NYE. We fell in love the 1st time and made it a tradition.
I made this recipe last night and it was okay. Some of the instructions were unclear as mentioned in another review (what to do with the reserved 1 cup of pasta water?) I also didn’t know whether to add the clams and muscles with the liquid they cooked in or without. The result was too much pasta, too little sauce but I think the right amount of seafood.
Thanks for trying out the recipe and sharing your feedback! Here are some quick tips for next time:
Reserved Pasta Water: Use it to thin the sauce if it’s too thick or to help it coat the pasta better.
Clams and Mussels: Strain the cooking liquid and add it to the sauce for extra flavor.
Sauce to Pasta Ratio: Try less pasta or increase the sauce ingredients slightly for a better balance.
I hope these tips help make your next seafood pasta even better!
I’ll give a different review with some clarification. It says to reserve 1 cup of liquid from pasta but never says when or where to add it. Also fresh parsley? Is it just a garnish or used in recipe? Maybe it’s just me but instructions seem a little lacking
This was an amazing dish to make for my Seafood Pasta!
Absolutely delicious and my wife new favorite dish. Seems intimidating but as long as you prep everything before beginning to cook it’s really quite easy to prepare. I made one change and doubled the garlic the recipe called for as I felt 4 cloves was a little light and went with 8 plus a little garlic powder as a thickener in the sauce since I skipped the corn starch.
I was reluctant to make this as it always seemed a bit intimidating (cooking the seafood just right). But, it was my husband’s request for date night so I thought I would surprise him. He honestly thought it was take-out. It was so delicious and your detailed instructions quickly eased my fears. Thank you for such an amazing recipe and resource.