Seafood Pasta with Shrimp and Scallops (and Garlic!)
Seafood pasta with shrimp and scallops and lots of garlic is seriously one of the fastest and most delicious meals you can make with pasta!
If you love shrimp, scallops, butter and garlic, this seafood pasta recipe is for you!
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It’s a beautiful weeknight meal that can be made in under half an hour, but the cooking time is just half of that.
One of my most popular seafood recipes is my simple garlic and butter shrimp with spaghetti. so I thought you would also enjoy this seafood pasta recipe which includes scallops.
Love seafood? I have yet another recipe: shrimp fettuccine in a light cream sauce with tomato!
Tips on Making this Seafood Pasta Recipe
Seafood should not be overcooked, so I include step by step instructions on timing so that your dish will turn out perfectly! Edited 1/22: just read the hundreds of rave reviews and comments readers have already left below! I’m so happy you all love my recipe! I’ve recently added this lobster pasta recipe, too.
The busiati pasta (the one I linked to is similar) is not a very popular shape here in the US, but it is traditionally served with seafood in Italy. If you can’t find this shape of pasta, no problem, just use another, like linguine, spaghetti or a shorter pasta.
In order to make sure this dish is as flavorful as possible, be sure to use really good quality seafood and pasta. The quality of the ingredients is key, even down to the garlic and parsley. It truly makes a difference!
Yes, all the ingredients are important all the time, but don’t even mess around with poor quality seafood; that’s the worst. You can trust the quality of Get Maine Lobster seafood! It’s a company that has the same values as I have, so you will be delighted with the freshness and flavor of their seafood. Check out this Fresh Catch page which includes juicy scallops and wild caught haddock! USE CUCINA10 for 10% off your purchase!
If you love seafood, you’re going to love my cioppino recipe!
Or what about this ‘perfect for a weeknight’ oven baked fish (Italian-style)?
How do you Cook Frozen Seafood?
It’s easy, just thaw and cook as you would if it was fresh. I like to defrost mine in a colander. Seafood thaws quite quickly.
Don’t be scared to cook seafood, it’s really not difficult. I think the hardest thing is not overcooking it.
Love tomato sauce with your seafood? Try my pasta with seafood sauce recipe (from Italy)
Can I Serve this without Pasta?
Yes, make some rice, quinoa, or zucchini noodles or even gluten free pasta for those who want to avoid gluten.
Fresh seafood is a necessity. You can be sure of the quality with Get Maine Lobster (they don’t only sell lobster!!) Check out this Fresh Catch page which includes deliciously juicy scallops!
Seafood Pasta with Shrimp and Scallops (and Garlic!)
Recipe by Christina Conte serves 4
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- scallops, fresh or thawed
- Kosher salt
- pasta
- extra virgin olive oil
- raw shrimp, fresh or frozen
- garlic
- flat leaf parsley
- freshly ground black pepper
- butter
- dry white wine (you can substitute seafood stock or broth if you’d like)
- (lemon slices/wedges to serve)
Prepare the Scallops
Soak the scallops for 10 minutes in a brine solution (3 tablespoonfuls of Kosher or sea salt in 16 oz water).
Remove after 10 minutes and place on a rack to dry.
Cook the Pasta
Next, put a large pot of well salted water on to boil for the pasta. Once the pasta goes in, set a timer for 7 minutes before the pasta will be ready (according to package instructions.)
Make the Seafood Sauce
Make sure the scallops are dry. If they are not, pat them dry with a paper towel. When the timer goes off, put a large cast iron pan on high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil.
When the pan and oil are very hot, add the scallops and sear them for about 1 1/2 minutes before adding the shrimp, garlic, and parsley.
Cook for another 2 minutes, then turn the scallops and shrimp and cook for a further 1 1/2 minutes.
Next, add the wine, which will cook down quickly, scraping the bottom of the pan. At this point, turn the heat down just to keep the pan warm.
Add the butter and stir to melt it.
This seafood pasta sauce is probably the quickest sauce you can make!
You can add some freshly ground black pepper, if desired, then taste the sauce or a piece of seafood and add salt if needed.
Add the Pasta to the Seafood Sauce
Drain the pasta, which should be ready, but reserve a cup or so of pasta water. You will only need this pasta water if you want to add some after mixing everything together. Add the pasta directly to the seafood sauce in the pan.
Stir gently to incorporate all the ingredients together. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if desired, then top with a twist of lemon in the pan.
Serve the Seafood Pasta!
Serve immediately as this seafood pasta dish is best piping hot.
This is not a fancy dish, so bring the pan to the table and serve it from there. Don’t forget some crusty bread to mop up the buttery, garlic and wine sauce at the end!
I was shooting in a hurry as I had a hungry crew behind me waiting to eat this! Haha!
Another seafood pasta recipe for you: mussel pasta (Italian style with tomatoes and olives)!
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Seafood Pasta with Shrimp and Scallops (and Garlic!)
Ingredients
- 1 lb scallops (fresh or thawed)
- 1 Tbsp Kosher salt (need more for brine solution)
- 12 oz pasta (good quality, I use a short shape, like busiati)
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 12 shrimp (large, raw, fresh or frozen (thawed) peeled, and deveined)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley (chopped)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- 3 oz butter (good quality, salted)
- ⅓ cup dry white wine (see notes)
- 4 wedges lemon (to serve)
Instructions
- Soak the scallops for 10 minutes in a brine solution (3 Tbsp Kosher salt in 16 oz water.)
- Remove after 10 minutes and place on a rack to dry.
- Next, put a large pot of well salted water on to boil for the pasta. Once the pasta goes in, set a timer for 7 minutes before the pasta will be ready (according to package instructions.)
- Make sure the scallops are dry. If they are not, pat them dry with a paper towel. When the timer goes off, put a large cast iron pan on high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil.
- When the pan and oil are very hot, add the scallops and sear them for about 1 ½ minutes before adding the shrimp, garlic, and parsley.
- Cook for another 2 minutes, then turn the scallops and shrimp and cook for a further 1 ½ minutes. Next, add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan; turn the heat down just to keep it warm.
- Add the butter and stir to melt. Add some freshly ground black pepper, if desired, then taste the sauce or a piece of seafood and add salt if needed.
- Drain the pasta, which should be ready, but reserve a cup or so of pasta water. You will only need this pasta water if you want to add some after mixing everything together. Add the pasta directly to the seafood sauce in the pan.
- Stir gently to incorporate all the ingredients together. Add some of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve immediately as this seafood pasta dish is best piping hot. Don't forget some crusty bread to mop up the buttery garlic and wine sauce at the end!
Notes
- Avoid overcooking the seafood or it will become tough and rubbery.
- If you don’t want to use wine, use water instead.
- If serving from the pan to guests, top the dish with a twist of lemon as in my photos.
Nutrition
Potato and salmon fish cakes are loved by even those who dislike salmon (like me)!
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Can I substitute something for the wine? Chicken stock?
Just use water, Kathleen. The chicken stock may make it too salty, unless you put less salt in earlier to compensate. Either way will work, let me know how you like it!