Seafood spaghetti allo scoglio with mussels and clams
Spaghetti allo scoglio with mussels, clams, prawns and squid, tossed in a light sauce of cherry tomatoes, garlic and parsley. The seafood first course of summer Sundays.
Are you looking for the recipe for spaghetti allo scoglio, the seafood first course that smells of summer Sundays?
Then this is the version for you. I’ll walk you through it step by step: how to bring mussels, clams, prawns and squid together in a single plate, bound to the pasta by a light sauce of cherry tomatoes, garlic and parsley. No heavy sauces, just the seafood front and centre.
The beauty of this recipe is the play of timing. Each shellfish has its own cooking time, and respecting it is what keeps everything tender and juicy: mussels and clams open in a few minutes and give up their liquid, the squid needs a little more patience, the prawns only need the very end.
Compared to many elaborate first courses, spaghetti allo scoglio has at least three advantages: it brings the celebration to the table in a single dish, it uses the shellfish water for a flavourful toss with no cream, and it adapts to whatever looks good at the fish counter.
One detail that makes all the difference: never skip purging the clams and always strain their liquid, so there is no sand and plenty of sea flavour. If you love a redder note, add more cherry tomatoes; for the in bianco version, you can leave them out completely.
Serve the seafood spaghetti the moment it is ready, steaming hot, because the pasta keeps absorbing liquid and this is not a dish to reheat. And remember, no cheese on seafood.
Ready? Let’s make the spaghetti allo scoglio.
Steps
- Purge the clams in cold salted water for at least 30 minutes. Clean the mussels by scraping the shells and removing the beard. Clean the squid and cut it into rings; shell the prawns, removing the black vein along the back.
- In a wide pan, heat the oil with one garlic clove, add the mussels and clams, cover and let them open over high heat for a few minutes. Remove them, shell some of them and strain the liquid.
- In the same pan, sauté the other garlic clove and the chilli, add the squid and deglaze with the wine. After a few minutes add the chopped cherry tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, then add the prawns and cook them for just a few minutes.
- Return the mussels and clams with their strained liquid. Cook the spaghetti very al dente and transfer them to the pan.
- Toss for a couple of minutes, adding the shellfish water if needed, finish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Helpful tips
Do not skip purging the clams and always strain their liquid: no sand, plenty of sea flavour.
Add the prawns only at the very end: a few minutes are enough, otherwise they turn rubbery.
No cheese on seafood first courses: it would cover the flavour of the seafood.
For a redder sauce, increase the cherry tomatoes; for the in bianco version, leave them out altogether.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 64.0 g
- Sugars
- 4.0 g
- Protein
- 26.0 g
- Fat
- 11.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 1.8 g
- Fiber
- 3.0 g
- Sodium
- 680 mg
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