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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

Sicilian Style Seafood with Pasta and Eggplant

Published: Jul 26, 2020 · Modified: Feb 21, 2022 by Chef Dennis Littley

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Enjoy my Sicilian Style Seafood on your table tonight!

One of the great joys of life for me is cooking. I love to mix up flavors, textures and add the unexpected to dishes whenever I can. That doesn’t I still don’t enjoy the classics, but every now and then I like to change it up a bit.

Sicilian style seafood served over a fried eggplant plank and linguine


 

The one thing I miss about my restaurant days is having all of those ingredients at my fingertips. All prepped, cut, and ready to go…… My sauces sitting on the back of the range and those special ingredients that I had for the night.

One of the greatest lessons Mama Jeanette taught me was to listen to the food. She would tell me “sonny boy, the food will tell you what it wants if you just listen”, and she was right. In my restaurant days, mixing ingredients had been my gift I, simply knowing without knowing what to add to make each creation a memorable experience. And when I had so many things to choose from sometimes those meals dishes became events.

Being at the shore everyone loved seafood, and broiled combos, lobsters and shrimp were always big sellers. What I tried to do was change the way my customers thought of seafood, and began serving it with different combinations of flavors and ingredients.

One of my favorite ingredients to use as a base is quick-fried eggplant. Tender and oh so flavorful, eggplant found itself under a number of different sauces and a variety of seafood.

Table of Contents:
  • What do I need to make Sicilian Style Seafood?
  • How do I make Sicilian Style Seafood?
  • More Italian Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Sicilian Style Seafood

What do I need to make Sicilian Style Seafood?

ingredients to make sicilian style seafood

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Sicilian Style Seafood. 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.

How do I make Sicilian Style Seafood?

4 picture process of breading eggplant

Let’s start by prepping the eggplant. 

  1. Coat eggplant in flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
  2. Dip the floured eggplant into an egg wash
  3. Coat the egg-washed eggplant cutlet into the seasoned breadcrumbs, completely coating the eggplant
  4. Repeat the process until the eggplant is breaded
fried eggplant cutlets draining on a screen over a sheet pan

Saute the breaded eggplant cutlets until golden brown.

peppers, onions, mushroom, shrimp and scallops in a frying pan

With the eggplant prepped we can now get started on the sauce and seafood. Start by sauteing the peppers, onions and mushrooms in a little olive oil. Then adding in the shrimp and scallops to the pan. Cook the seafood till almost done and remove the shrimp and scallops from the pan. 

garlic, olives, basil and spices added to the sauteed vegetables

After removing the shrimp and scallops from the saute pan, add the garlic, olives, basil, and seasoning. Add additional olive oil if needed.

tomato sauce and grated Romano cheese added to the pan

Add the tomato sauce and grated Romano cheese to the pan and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. When the sauce is ready add the shrimp and scallops to the pan and continue simmering for another 3-4 minutes.

seafood sicilian served over a fried eggplant plank and linguine

Serve the Sicilian Style Seafood over a quick-fried eggplant plank and linguine.

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seafood Sicilian on a white plate

Sicilian Style Seafood

Chef Dennis Littley
When it comes to pasta and seafood you can count on Sicilians to come up with deliciousness! Your family is going to love this delicious dish, complete with a fried eggplant plank and linguine.
5 from 77 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2
Calories 937 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Eggplant Planks

  • 2 slices eggplant cut the long way
  • ½ cup flour seasoned with sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 large egg whipped with a little added water
  • ½ cup bread crumbs seasoned or plain

Sicilian Style Seafood

  • olive oil as needed
  • 6 large shrimp cleaned peeled and deveined
  • 8 large scallops
  • ½ cup diced onion diced
  • ½ cup red pepper diced
  • 1 cup mushrooms sliced
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • ⅓ cup green and black olives sliced
  • 2 cups tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
  • ½ cup grated Romano cheese
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
  • ⅙ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste

Assembly

  • ½ lb linguine
  • 1 teaspoon parsley finely chopped
  • 2 eggplant planks quick-fried

Instructions
 

Quick Fried Eggplant Planks

  • Peel and slice eggplant into long planks
  • flour eggplant planks, dip in egg wash, then into seasoned bread crumbs. continue until all the eggplant planks have been breaded.
  • Heat pan and add olive oil and quick fry breaded eggplant planks on both sides until golden brown. Keep warm in 250 degree oven until ready to serve.
  • {Start water for pasta. Begin cooking pasta when the sauce is simmering }

Sicilian Style Seafood

  • In a large skillet hot and add a little olive oil, mushrooms, peppers, and onions. Saute until mushrooms and peppers have softened.
  • Add the shrimp and scallops to the pan and sear them on both sides. Cook until almost done, then remove the seafood from the pan and hold until needed.
    Do not cook the seafood completely, it will be finished later in the sauce.
  • Add olives, garlic, basil, and seasonings to the pan and continue to saute for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the tomato sauce and grated Romano cheese to the pan and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes. If the mixture gets too thick add in a little water.
  • When the sauce is ready to serve add the shrimp and scallops to the pan and continue simmering for another 4-6 minutes.

Assembly

  • Place fried eggplant plank on plate and a mound of past next to it. Place shrimp and scallops on eggplant, spoon sauce over both and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 937kcalCarbohydrates: 157gProtein: 49gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 2669mgPotassium: 1817mgFiber: 14gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 2710IUVitamin C: 71mgCalcium: 185mgIron: 9mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    5 from 77 votes (47 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Kathy says

    July 29, 2020 at 10:03 am

    This dish looks amazing. I love just about anything with pasta. It’s one of our favorite dishes. I definitely need to give this a try. It sounds like it would be so good.

    Reply
  2. Jennifer Van Haitsma says

    July 29, 2020 at 6:56 am

    This looks incredible! I haven’t had shrimp in ages, and would love to try this. Thanks for sharing this with us.

    Reply
  3. Beth says

    July 28, 2020 at 11:25 pm

    I would have never thought to serve eggplant and seafood together, but it seems like a wonderful combination! I’ll have to try this!

    Reply
  4. heather says

    July 28, 2020 at 9:13 pm

    5 stars
    This has me drooling! Looks absolutely delicious can’t wait to make it for my family.

    Reply
  5. Tasheena says

    July 28, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    This looks so savory flavorful. Looking forward to giving this recipe a try.

    Reply
  6. Sarah Bailey says

    July 28, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    Ohh now this sounds interesting, I have to admit I do love a good pasta meal and throw in some seafood and you have me hooked!

    Reply
  7. Ben says

    July 28, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    5 stars
    Aww yeah. You had me at “Sicilian style”. I have to make this. I love seafood.

    Reply
  8. Leslie says

    July 28, 2020 at 1:43 pm

    5 stars
    This Sicilian Style Recipe looks like it’s just bursting with flavor! LOVE!!!

    Reply
  9. Heidy says

    July 28, 2020 at 1:33 pm

    5 stars
    This Sicilian Style Seafood sounds and looks so amazing. It looks like the perfect date night dinner. My husband’s birthday is this next week and I am planning on making this for his birthday dinner! I can’t wait to surprise him.

    Reply
  10. Amber Myers says

    July 28, 2020 at 1:07 pm

    You had me at pasta! This looks like an amazing dish. Plus I’ve always liked eggplant.

    Reply
  11. Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says

    July 28, 2020 at 11:53 am

    5 stars
    Oh my does this sound and look amazing!!! My Italian inlaws will go NUTS over this! Thank so so much for sharing this! I’m all the ingredients to my shopping list!

    Reply
  12. Marta says

    July 28, 2020 at 10:12 am

    It’s so funny that you mentioned how she told you the food will speak to you if you listen. I always tell people who are learning to cook that you can actually feel what food wants you to do. Great advice and a great-looking recipe!

    Reply
  13. Marina says

    July 28, 2020 at 8:30 am

    5 stars
    Love this linguini pasta dish with sea food, truly delicious seaside recipe. Makes me remember sitting on the seafront and enjoying the pasta with sea food on the hot summer day

    Reply
  14. Amy says

    July 27, 2020 at 11:26 pm

    5 stars
    This was so good! Easy to make and also we are such seafood lovers. thanks!

    Reply
  15. Estelle Forrest says

    July 27, 2020 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    An absolutley gorgeous dish made from a sea bounty!

    Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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