The situation of Veneto, on the Adriatic coast of northern Italy, means it’s no surprise that seafood is a staple in the region’s cuisine. The Laguna Veneta that surrounds Venice is an ecologically dense and diverse body of water which makes for rich pickings when it comes to i frutti di mare, quite literally, ‘the fruits of the sea’.
This seafood linguine recipe will transport you to a sun-soaked Italian beach on one of Venice’s charming isolas or to a beautiful piazza overlooking one of the city’s many canals. This seafood sauce is best paired with a long, thick-stranded pasta – in this recipe we use linguine but if you want an even more authentic pairing you could use bigoli, a variety of pasta native to Veneto.
The sauce is packed with prawns and mussels – gamberi and cozze – and the bold flavours of the shellfish are perfectly balanced out by the zingy lemon juice. If you want to make fresh linguine from scratch, follow along with our video below.
How to make our seafood linguine
Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes (excluding fresh pasta)
Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Calories per serving: 644 kcal
Ingredients
- 400g fresh linguine (see our fresh linguine pasta recipe)
- 500g mussels
- 250g whole raw prawns
- 6tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ½ red chilli, finely chopped
- 50ml white wine
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Scrub the mussels in cold water, removing their beards and any barnacles. Discard any mussels that are already open
- Peel the prawns, removing the heads but leaving the tails
- Heat the olive oil in a large lidded saucepan and add the garlic and chilli
- After a couple of minutes (before the garlic starts to burn) add the mussels and the wine
- Cover the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the mussels start to open (discard any mussels that do not open after full cooking time)
- Meanwhile, cook the linguine in a pan of boiling water for 8 minutes or until al dente
- Add the prawns and cook for 5 minutes and then squeeze in the lemon juice
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper
- Add the pasta to the pan with the shellfish sauce, combine well and serve immediately
How should I serve my seafood linguine?
The beauty of this dish is in its simplicity. It is a perfect stand-alone meal and doesn’t demand lots of accompaniments. However, if you’re looking for something to try with it then we recommend serving it up with a freshly cooked garlic ciabatta.
What wine should I pair with my seafood linguine?
This seafood linguine is perfectly complemented by a crisp white wine with mild fruity undertones. We recommend opening up a chilled bottle of your favourite Pinot Grigio to best enjoy this delicious meal.
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