Tomato Seafood Pasta with Mussels, Clams, Shrimp, and Squid

This tomato seafood pasta brings spaghetti together with mussels, clams, shrimp, and squid in a garlicky tomato sauce. Adding the seafood in stages helps each ingredient cook just until tender, while the pasta water gives the sauce a silky finish. Serve it straight from the pan with lemon and crusty bread.

Recipe at a glance

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep time: 25 minutes
• Cook time: 25 minutes
• Total time: 50 minutes

You’ll need a large pot for the pasta and a wide, deep skillet or Dutch oven with a lid for the sauce and seafood.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon fine salt, for the pasta water, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup water
• 1 pound live mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1 pound live small clams, scrubbed
• 8 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed if frozen
• 8 ounces cleaned squid, bodies cut into ½-inch rings and tentacles left whole or halved
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare the seafood. Keep the seafood cold while you work, and wash your hands and any surfaces that have touched raw seafood. Scrub the mussels and clams under cold running water. Discard cracked shells. If a live shellfish shell is open, tap it; discard it if it does not close. Pat the shrimp and squid dry and keep them separate from the shellfish.
2. Start the sauce and pasta water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in the wide skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant but not browned. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and ½ cup water. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then lower the heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Cook the spaghetti. Add the salt to the boiling water, then cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package directions. Before draining, scoop out about 1 cup of pasta water. Drain the spaghetti; don’t rinse it.
4. Steam the mussels and clams. Stir the mussels and clams into the simmering sauce and cover the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, then check the shells. Continue cooking, covered, for another 2 to 4 minutes as needed, until the shells have opened. Use tongs to transfer opened shellfish to a bowl as they finish so they don’t overcook while the remaining shells cook. Discard any mussels or clams that remain closed after cooking.
5. Add the shrimp and squid. Stir the shrimp into the sauce and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the squid and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, stirring gently. The shrimp should be opaque throughout and the squid should be just tender. Avoid a long simmer at this stage, which can make squid tough.
6. Bring everything together. Return the opened mussels and clams to the pan, along with any juices collected in the bowl. Add the drained spaghetti and parsley. Toss gently until the pasta is coated. If the sauce seems thick, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until it clings to the noodles. Stir in the butter, if using, and taste before adding more salt.
7. Serve. Divide the pasta and seafood among warm bowls. Offer lemon wedges and crusty bread at the table.

Tips, serving, and storage

Buying and handling: Choose seafood that has been properly refrigerated, and transport it home cold. If using frozen shrimp or squid, thaw them in the refrigerator and drain well before cooking. The FDA’s seafood guidance recommends keeping seafood cold and cooking it thoroughly; follow its handling advice for fresh and frozen seafood.

Variation: For a milder sauce, leave out the red pepper flakes. You can also use linguine in place of spaghetti. If live mussels or clams aren’t available, make the dish with additional shrimp and squid; add them near the end as directed and cook until the shrimp are opaque and the squid is tender.

Leftovers: Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a shallow, covered container, within 2 hours of cooking. For best quality, eat within 2 days and reheat gently until steaming hot. Seafood pasta is best freshly made; reheating it for too long can toughen the seafood.

Sources

• FDA: Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely