The ultimate spaghetti Frutti di Mare recipe, made with baby clams, mussels, squid and shrimp in a thick red homemade Arrabiata sauce. Fra Diavolo style seafood spaghetti, better than your favorite Italian restaurant.
Frutti di Mare
A very popular Italian pasta dish meaning “fruit of the sea” made with the freshest seafood you can get your hands on and a thick homemade arrabiata sauce. Perfection!
This fancy looking dinner is one of the most impressive meals usually served during the Feast of Seven Fishes, but it’s also so easy to make that you can have it on the table in 30 minutes on a Tuesday. I swear on my saffron!
I chose wild shrimp, baby manilla clams, mussels and squid tentacles, but you can pretty much make it with whatever shellfish you like.
You can use all clams or just shrimp, add lobster tails even; whatever rocks your tastebuds and looks fresh at the market that day. Baby sea scallops would also make a pretty fabulous addition to the mix.
The real secret here is to not overcook the seafood! Because nobody likes rubbery shrimp or squid or scallops, right?! So keep a close eye on it at all times, this is not the time to watch a movie.
After you make this dish a couple of times it will come naturally to you and you’ll be ready to bring it to that Italian Christmas Eve Feast of the Fishes like a real boss!
How to Make Frutti di Mare Seafood Spaghetti
- Quickly sauté some garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil, about 20 seconds.
- Add clams and mussels and hit it with a good splash of dry white wine. Insane!
- Stir in your shrimp and squid tentacles, then add some good homemade arrabiata sauce. Don’t be stingy!
- Toss some spaghetti or linguine with the seafood and the sauce and dive in!
Favorite Italian Recipes:
- Capellini Pomodoro
- Bruschetta Pasta Salad
- Aglio e Olio
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Focaccia Bread
- Shrimp Pomodoro.
Frutti di Mare Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb clams & mussels (mixed) cleaned well
- 1 lb wild shrimp peeled
- 1/2 lb squid tentacles
- 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes + more to taste
- 1/2 c white wine
- 1 lemon for serving
- 1/3 c fresh basil leaves or chopped Italian parsley
- 3/4 lb spaghetti
- 1 batch arrabiata tomato sauce made advance
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions until Al Dente. Drain and reserve 1 cup of the salty pasta water.
- Meanwhile heat up your largest skillet on medium low flame.
- Add a lug of olive oil, the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir quickly making sure not to burn the garlic. Add in the clams and mussels and toss them around.
- Pour in the white wine and cover with a lid. Cook for about a minute or so until the clams start to open.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet with clams and give it a stir. Cover and cook for another minute or so.
- Once all the clams and mussels have opened and the shrimp is almost cooked, add the squid tentacles. Cook another 30 seconds or so until they curl up.
- Taste for seasonings and add more sea salt if needed. ( Remember that shellfish will spit out a lot of sea water during cooking, so wait till the end to season)
- Meanwhile warm up the sauce in a saucepan. Pour the sauce over the seafood and toss to coat well.
- Add the cooked spaghetti pasta to the skillet with the seafood and toss to coat in the sauce. Add a little bit of the reserved pasta water if needed to stretch out the sauce.
- Transfer your seafood spaghetti to a serving platter, drizzle with a lug of olive oil and sprinkle with the basil and parsley.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- The Seafood - You can use all clams or just shrimp, add lobster tails even, whatever rocks your boat and looks fresh at the market that day! Baby sea scallops would also make a fabulous addition to the mix.
- Recipe Tip - The real secret here is to not overcook the seafood! Because nobody likes rubbery shrimp or squid or scallops, right? So keep an eye on it at all times.
Nutrition
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