This elegant seafood pasta is the perfect Valentine’s Day treat - indulgent, full of flavour and surprisingly simple to prepare. With simple steps and the freedom to use your favourite shellfish, it’s a relaxed yet luxurious dish that lets great ingredients do the talking.
This versatile recipe allows you to use whichever seafood you prefer, whether it’s clams, crab or lobster and with minimal preparation involved it is perfect for those who don’t want to spend all evening in the kitchen! As with all fish and shellfish, I would always advise buying the best quality you can afford - it will make all the difference.
Delicious Seafood Pasta Recipe
Serves 2
Ingredients
300g spaghetti (or whichever pasta you prefer)
6 medium prawns, peeled and deveined
200g squid, cleaned and sliced into 1cm rings
250g mussels, debearded and washed
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
½ small red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced
½ bunch picked basil, roughly chopped
250g passata
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Method
- Start off by sorting through the mussels and discard any which do not close when tapped.
- Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta following the cooking instructions on the packet.
- Meanwhile, place a large, deep sided frying pan on a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Sweat the shallots for 3-5 minutes until tender, then add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the prawns and mussels and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the squid and passata and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove and throw away any mussels which do not open after this time.
- When the pasta is cooked reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water and add to the the passata. Drain the pasta and add to the pan of shellfish. Sprinkle in the chopped basil and toss everything together. Taste for seasoning and then divide between two bowls and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
