This Shrimp and Scallop Pasta is a quick, elegant, and flavorful dinner perfect for date night or an easy midweek meal. The sweetness of the shellfish works wonderfully with the sauce, which is made simply with a splash of wine, plenty of garlic, butter, parsley, and lemon. Think of this as a Shrimp and Scallop Scampi. Seafood pasta with plenty of garlic! What is not to love?
16jumbo shrimp (raw, peeled, and deveined)- see note 2
¼teaspoonsalt
For the sauce
¼cupwhite wine- see note 3
4tablespoonsbutter
2tablespoonsminced garlic(~6 cloves)
½cupchopped fresh parsley
Grated zest of ½ lemon
¼cupfreshly squeezed lemon juice
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
pinchred pepper flakes- optional
Instructions
Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the salt and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet instructions.1 tablespoon salt12 oz/ 340g long pasta
Once cooked, reserve 1 ½ cups of the pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta.
Once the pasta is in the water, start the seafood.
Ensure the scallops and shrimp are dry by patting them with a paper towel to remove any moisture. Then leave them to sit on a sheet of paper towel.
Heat the oil in a large skillet/frying pan over medium-high heat.2 tablespoons/ 4tablespoons olive oil
Season the scallops with salt. Then carefully and quickly add the scallops to the frying pan. Do them individually, starting at 12 o'clock and working around the outside of the pan.12 raw sea scallops¼ teaspoon salt
Cook the scallops for 90 seconds on one side, then flip the scallops and cook for a further 60 seconds. Remove from the pan.
Add the oil to the same frying pan/skillet.2 tablespoon olive oil
Season the shrimp with salt, then add to the frying pan and cook for 2 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set them aside.16 jumbo shrimp (raw, peeled, and deveined)¼ teaspoon salt
Pour the wine into the pan and allow to bubble for 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the frying pan.¼ cup/ 60ml white wine
Reduce the heat to low and melt the butter. Add in the minced garlic, cooking for 3 minutes, until fragrant but not colored.4 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons minced garlic
Add the chopped parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir well.½ cup/ 30g chopped fresh parsley Grated zest of ½ lemon¼ cup/ 61ml freshly squeezed lemon juice½ teaspoon/ 0.5teaspoon freshly ground black pepperpinch red pepper flakes
Add the drained pasta, add ½ cup/125ml of the reserved pasta water and keep stirring until the pasta has absorbed the sauce. (about 1-2 minutes) I find tongs work well for this as they can lift and turn the pasta quickly.
Add more pasta water if needed, until the pasta is cooked perfectly and coated in the butter sauce.
Add the cooked seafood, toss gently over medium heat for 30 seconds, taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
Notes
Long pasta works best with the garlic butter sauce, so I would suggest using linguine, spaghetti, or tagliatelle. But this would also work with a farfalle (butterfly/bowtie pasta) or rotini. Avoid pasta shapes with holes in them, like penne and or rigatoni.
The recipe is written for four people, and each serving contains four shrimp and three scallops. Feel free to reduce or increase the number of scallops and or shrimp according to budget or availability. If you have frozen seafood, ensure it is fully defrosted and dry before you start to cook it. (see above for more tips with the scallops) With fresh seafood, make sure it is dry before you start cooking.
If you don't consume alcohol, you can switch the wine out for broth/stock.