Frutti di Mare Pasta (Seafood Spaghetti Recipe)
This Frutti di Mare Pasta looks like it took all day and comes together in 40 minutes. It’s spicy, briny, and deeply saucy — clams and mussels steamed right in the sauce so every drop tastes like the sea, finished with Calabrian chili heat and a squeeze of lemon. Impressive enough for a dinner party, honest enough for a Tuesday night.
If you’re into Italian seafood pasta, you’ll want to bookmark these too. My spaghetti allo scoglio is a white wine version for when you want something lighter, my linguine vongole keeps it simple with just clams and a garlicky white wine sauce, and my white wine mussels pasta is the move when mussels are the star.
Ingredients
Before you start your frutti di mare pasta, there are a few ingredients worth noting. San Marzano tomatoes are non-negotiable here. They’re sweeter, less acidic, and more concentrated than regular crushed tomatoes. That’s what gives the sauce its richness. Don’t substitute. For the seafood, fresh is ideal, but fully thawed frozen works well too. Just make sure it’s completely thawed and patted dry before adding it to the pan. For the white wine, use something you’d actually drink. Cooking wine is too salty and thin, and you’ll taste it in the sauce. A dry Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc is perfect. And don’t skip the Calabrian chili paste. That’s where the heat comes from, and it’s not the same with just red pepper flakes.
Step by Step Instructions
- Sauté the garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Deglaze with white wine and let it reduce for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the San Marzano tomatoes, basil, oregano, Calabrian chili paste, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Nestle the clams and mussels into the sauce, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes until the shells open. Discard any that don’t.
5. Add the shrimp and calamari. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are pink and the calamari is tender.
6. Toss in the cooked spaghetti, stir in the butter, and loosen with reserved pasta water as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
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Frutti di Mare Pasta (Seafood Spaghetti Recipe)
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large sauté pan with lid
- tongs
- wooden spoon
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Colander
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste optional
- 2 ½ tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 3 tablespoons butter
For the Seafood
- 16 large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 16 mussels scrubbed and debearded
- 10 littleneck clams scrubbed
- 10 ounces calamari cleaned and sliced into rings
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Pasta
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguine
- Salted water for boiling
- 1 ½ cups reserved pasta water
For Garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano optional
- Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Get your pasta water going first. Add 2 teaspoons of salt — it should taste like the sea. Cook the spaghetti until just al dente, it finishes in the sauce. Before you drain it, pull out 1½ cups of pasta water and set it aside. You’ll need it.1 pound spaghetti, Salted water for boiling, 1 ½ cups reserved pasta water
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Watch it closely — garlic burns fast and bitter garlic will ruin the sauce.¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 6 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Pour in the white wine and let it bubble and reduce for 2 minutes. Then add the San Marzano tomatoes, basil, oregano, Calabrian chili paste, salt, and pepper. Drop the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.¾ cup dry white wine, 1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste, 2 ½ tablespoons fresh basil
- Nestle the clams and mussels into the sauce and cover the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes. They’re done when the shells open. Any that stay shut get discarded — no exceptions.16 mussels, 10 littleneck clams
- Add the shrimp and calamari, seasoned with salt and pepper. Two to three minutes is all they need. The shrimp should be pink and the calamari just tender. Pull them off the heat the second they’re done — calamari goes rubbery fast.16 large shrimp, 10 ounces calamari, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the spaghetti straight into the sauce and toss everything together. Stir in the butter, then add pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats every strand. Plate immediately and finish with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.3 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Fresh lemon juice
Notes
- The shellfish are your sauce. In frutti di mare pasta, the clams and mussels don’t just add texture — they steam open directly in the tomato sauce and release their briny juices into it. That’s what makes this sauce taste like the ocean. Don’t rush this step and don’t skip covering the pan.
- Prep your shellfish properly. Purge the clams in cold salted water for 20 minutes before cooking — this draws out any sand or grit hiding inside. For the mussels, scrub the shells under cold running water and pull off the beard (the stringy bit poking out of the shell) by tugging it toward the hinge. Any clams or mussels that are already open before cooking and don’t close when tapped should be discarded.
- Calamari is the first thing to overcook. Add it last, give it 2-3 minutes, and pull it the second it turns opaque. Rubbery calamari is the most common mistake in this dish and it happens fast.
- Storage: Frutti di mare pasta is best eaten immediately. The seafood doesn’t hold well. If you have leftovers, store in an airtight container for up to one day and reheat gently on the stovetop with a small splash of water.