Italian Sunday Dinner: Frutti di Mare over Pasta

Welcome to another Italian Sunday dinner! Today I am sharing my favorite seafood pasta recipe, Frutti di Mare!

Frutti di Mare is a very popular Italian pasta dish meaning ” fruit of the sea “, made with the freshest seafood you can get your hands on. My mother-in-law got me hooked on this red sauce seafood pasta dish over 30 years ago. I actually prefer this red sauce over a white wine seafood pasta. I hope you enjoy it!

Frutti di Mare Recipe

Instructions

1. Peel and devein the shrimp and put it in a bowl.
2. Clean the squid if necessary, then slice the tubes into rings. Trim any tough parts from the top of the tentacles and add to the bowl. Cover and refrigerate the bowl until ready to use.
3. Rinse the clams and mussels under cool running water. Trim any “beards” protruding from the mussels with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the wine to a deep, 6 to 7-quart pan. Cover and heat to boiling. Add the clams, cover, and cook until all the shells have opened. Using tongs, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Be sure to discard any clams that don’t open.
5. Add the remaining wine to the pan and return to boiling. Add the mussels and cook until all the shells open. Transfer 24 of the mussels to the bowl with the clams and set aside. Be sure to discard any mussels that don’t open.
6. Remove the meat from any remaining mussels, place it in a small bowl, set aside, and discard the empty shells. Strain the broth from the pan into a separate bowl and set aside.
7. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. I use linguine or bucatini if you can get it.
8. Heat the olive oil in the pan you cooked the mussels in over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly golden – do not brown. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved mussel liquid along with the tomatoes and their liquid.
9. Add the crushed tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a simmer, season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add the crushed red pepper. Simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, 10 to 12 minutes.
10. Begin cooking the pasta according to package directions.
11. Keep the sauce simmering and add the squid and shrimp. Stir to coat them with sauce and cook just until you see the shrimp start to turn pink for about 1-1/2 minutes.
12. Add the shelled mussel meat, coat with sauce again, and continue cooking 1-1/2 minutes longer.
13. Gently mix in the clams and reserved mussels in their shells on top. Cover the pan and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil.
14. Drain the pasta, toss with a little olive oil and arrange on a very large serving platter or divide amongst individual dinner plates.
15. Using tongs arrange the clams and mussels around the edges of the plates or serving platter. Spoon the seafood sauce mixture over the pasta and serve immediately.

Add a salad and some crusty Italian bread for soaking up every last drop of the sauce to complete the meal.

More Sunday recipes:

Italian Sunday Dinner: Stuffed Italian Meatloaf

Italian Sunday Dinner: Chicken Fettucine Alfredo

Mangia!