Recipe: Spaghetti with Mixed Seafood

Spaghetti with Mixed Seafood

from Williams-Sonoma

Serves 4

1/3 cup olive oil
3 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound small clams such as littleneck or Manila, scrubbed
1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded if necessary
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shell fragments
Salt
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
1/3 cup fresh basil, minced

Cook the seafood:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté until they are just opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add the wine, clams, and mussels to the pan, discarding any mussels or clams that fail to close to the touch. Raise the heat to medium, cover, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams and mussels open, about 10 minutes. Discard any empty shells and any unopened clams or mussels. Add the shrimp back to the pan along with the crabmeat and warm briefly to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes.

Cook the pasta:
Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the pasta is not quite al dente, about 1 minute less than the package directions, drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the sauce along with the basil. Toss to combine. Warm briefly over low heat to blend the flavors. Add as much of the cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce and serve.