This classic Italian seafood dish will turn any night into a special occasion. Perfect for your next date night, this restaurant-style dish is easier to make than you think and the flavors will amaze you.
One of my favorite dishes to prepare when I worked in restaurants was Frutti di Mare. I loved blending seafood together and especially loved serving it over pasta.
There are as many different recipes as there are Italian grandmothers for Frutti di Mare. And every family has a favorite ingredient that makes it their own special version of this Italian classic.
What Ingredients do I need to make Frutta di Mare?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make a Frutta di Mare. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Depending on what I have available and who I am serving will often dictate what goes into my interpretation of this wonderful dish.
My wife enjoys white sauces more than red, so when I prepared this dish for her I kept it in more of an Aioli type sauce. Of course, if you prefer a red sauce or a touch of red feel free to adjust the recipe.
This dish also makes a wonderful Fra Diavolo if your mood is for a little more on the spicy side.
The first step is adding the olive oil, garlic, basil and red pepper flakes to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Let the garlic cook for about 30 seconds to release the flavor into the oil.
Then add the seafood to the hot pan and cover the pan. This will steam the mussels and clams open as well as cook the shrimp and scallops.
Chef Dennis Tip:
** I thought searing the shrimp and scallops first might help, but it really wasn’t necessary and caused them to be just a little overcooked. My advice would be to par-cook the shrimp and scallops, then remove them from the pan before adding the mussels and clams to steam open. Then add them back to the pan to finish cooking once the mussels and clams have steamed open.
I had a nice variety of seafood, but again feel free to add in what you have on hand.
What other seafood can I add to Frutti de Mare?
Some of my favorite additions to this dish are:
- Calamari
- Salmon, snapper, mahi-mahi or any thick cut fish you enjoy.
- Crabmeat
- Lobster
Serve your Frutti di Mare over linguine and pour a little of the best olive oil you have on top for added flavor, and I know Italians don’t like cheese with seafood, but I always add some grated Romano cheese to my pasta dishes, even seafood.
I do hope you give this dish a try, it’s really very easy to make, and you’ll have a restaurant-quality dinner for less than half the price of dining out at your favorite restaurant.
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Frutti di Mare
Ingredients
- 8 shrimp peeled and de-veined
- 8 scallops
- 20 mussels
- 20 littleneck clams
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Basil Chopped
- â…› teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 ounces white wine optional
- â…” lb spaghetti or any other long spaghetti style pasta
Instructions
- Run cold water over the mussels and clams to clean them thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed
- Once your seafood is prepped, get the pasta ready, Linguine or Spaghetti will work the best for this dish, it's a little too heavy for angel hair. Â Follow instructions on the box, usually around 10-11 minutes for aldente.**When you begin cooking the pasta, start cooking the seafood. (you will need 8-10 minutes for the seafood, so time it so they get done about the same time)
- In a large saute pan over medium-high heat add the olive oil, chopped garlic, basil and red pepper flakes. Let the garlic saute for about a minute.
- Add the scallops and shrimp. Cook them till almost done and remove them from the pan. If you would like to add white wine to your sauce, add it now to deglaze the pan before adding the mussels and clams.*You can skip this step and add all the seafood at the same time.
- Next add the mussels and clams, cover the pot and let cook for 5-6 minutes. All the mussels and clams should have opened by then. Add the shrimp and scallops back into the pan and reseason as needed.
- If you have timed this right your linguine will be done just about the time your seafood is ready. Â If your pasta still has time to cook remove the seafood from the heat and keep it covered. If needed you can give it a quick reheat as soon as the pasta is done.
- Serve over pasta and enjoy!
Nutrition
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sapana says
I love th flavors of garlic and basil with olive oil, there is nothing amazing than that. Thi dish sounds like a wonderful treat for sea food lovers.
Gail Montero says
Love how loaded with seafood this yummy dish is! Date night or not this frutti di mare is a dish hubby and I would love!
Ramona says
This pasta frutti di mare looks amazing and soo flavourful! This is the perfect dish for me nd my family as we love seafood and i love cooking with it. I need to make this recipe soon. Thank you for sharing!
Jacqueline Debono says
Your pasta frutti di mare looks delicious. We love eating seafood. And it really is much easier to make than many people think!
Kushigalu says
This dish is something new to me. Sounds like a perfect treat for all seafood lovers. Love the combo here. Thanks for sharing
Beth says
I’ve always thought that seafood cooked like this gave an unforgettable flavor to pasta too, and I’d be in the white sauce camp.
[email protected] Running in a Skirt says
This is one of my favorite dishes out and I love how easy it is to make at home. SUch lovely flavors in this and I love all the seafood in it.
Diana says
I haven’t tried this recipe before but you make it sounds so doable! My family loves seafood!!!
Sophia says
I’ve been on a major pasta kick lately and this recipe has all my favorite seafood. It’s a total winner! So tasty!
Amy Liu Dong says
I love seafood and this one looks really delicious but sadly I am not able to eat this because of my allergy.
But my family will definitely love this…
Marta says
Frutti di mare is the dish I always order whenever we go out for Italian. Now I can make it at home and that makes me so happy! Thanks Dennis!
Maria says
This looks delicious! We love seafood pasta and you made it simple to bring it home. With not eating out, this will be perfect for a stay-at-home datenight with my husband!
Leslie says
I’m with you, I would totally add some parmesan cheese to this recipe! This looks heavenly!!
Meesha says
This is really delicious! My family ( who are really picky when it comes to food ) absolutely adore this recipe !
Lesli Schwartz says
Frutti di Mare is among my all time favorite Italian dishes! Haven’s made this at home in a long time. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration!