This dish is simple to make and absolutely delicious. It tastes just as good as any seafood pasta you’d eat on the Abruzzo coast. Prawns, calamari and scampi, a light tomato base, a splash of white wine, and a long pasta to carry it all. That’s it.
What is Abruzzo Seafood Pasta?
Abruzzo isn’t the most famous Italian region. It sits between Rome and the heel of Italy’s boot. But it has some of the best seafood on the peninsula. The Adriatic is shallower and colder than the Tyrrhenian Sea on Italy’s west coast, and that makes for sweeter, more flavourful shellfish.
The key word here is simple. Coastal Italians don’t smother their seafood in heavy sauces. A good base of garlic, white wine, cherry tomatoes, and the natural juices from the seafood do all the work.
Seafood with pasta isn’t unique to Abruzzo, but this recipe comes from Abruzzo and is typical of the style of cooking along Abruzzo’s coastline.
The secret is in the stock
Before you do anything else, put the prawn and scampi heads, tails and shells into a pan with water and salt and bring it to the boil. Strain it and set it aside. This step is what gives this dish its depth. And it’s the step that makes it taste like it came from a restaurant on the Adriatic coast rather than your kitchen.
The seafood
You need three things: prawns, calamari and scampi. It works very well using frozen seafood, so if you don’t have access to a good fishmonger, you can still make a superb dish from frozen ingredients. If you can’t find scampi, substitute with large king prawns. Or just leave them out. The dish will still be great.
Tips for getting it right
The biggest mistake people make with seafood pasta is cooking the seafood for too long. Prawns and scampi need just a few minutes. Calamari rings are the same – any longer and they turn rubbery. The moment everything is just cooked, get the pasta in and get it to the table.
Don’t rush the tomato sauce. Ten to fifteen minutes over a low heat lets it collapse into something thick and sweet. That’s the base everything else builds on.
And don’t skip the pasta water. It looks like nothing – cloudy, starchy water – but it’s what brings the sauce together if it needs loosening.
What pasta to use
Fresh egg pasta is best. It has a softer texture that works beautifully with the delicate seafood sauce. Traditionally this dish would be cooked with chittera or chitarrina. But any long pasta works perfectly. I like the trenette shape which is perfect. Linguine and spaghetti are also fine but if you go to the effort of sourcing beautiful seafood, you should really make some fresh pasta to go with it!
FAQ
What is scampi? Scampi are langoustines – a small, sweet shellfish that look like a miniature lobster. In Italy they’re called scampi. Don’t confuse them with the battered pub version – that’s a different thing entirely. For this recipe you want whole scampi or scampi tails, fresh or frozen.
Can I use a jar of passata instead of cherry tomatoes? You could, but the texture will be heavier. Cherry tomatoes break down into a lighter, fresher sauce that suits seafood. Stick with them if you can. If you can’t get cherry tomatoes, use normal tomatoes, but cut them up smaller.
Can I make this ahead? No. Seafood pasta is a cook-and-serve dish. The seafood turns rubbery on reheating and the pasta absorbs the sauce and goes soggy. Make it, eat it.
Can I use dried pasta? Yes. Cook it until just under al dente – it will finish cooking when you toss it through the sauce. But really you should use fresh pasta.
Buon appetito! 🇮🇹
Also Read
Abruzzo Seafood Pasta
Equipment
- 2 Large saucepans
- Large frying pan or wide sauté pan
- colander
- Sieve or fine mesh strainer (for the stock)
- Wooden Spoon
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Ladle
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh long pasta (linguine, spaghetti or trenette)
- 200 g prawns (heads, tails and shells removed and set aside)
- 200 g scampi (heads, tails and shells removed and set aside)
- 200 g calamari (cleaned and sliced into rings)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 15 cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 75 ml white wine
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
- Salt
Instructions
- Put the prawn and scampi heads, tails and shells into a saucepan. Cover with water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Strain and set the stock aside.
- Heat a wide pan over a medium heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Fry until the garlic is golden.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, the chopped parsley and white wine at the same time. Stir and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down into a thick sauce.
- Add a ladleful of the seafood stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce a little.
- Add the calamari, prawns and scampi. Cook until just done, then take off the heat and season with salt.
- Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until almost done. Drain and toss straight into the seafood sauce. Add a splash of pasta water if the sauce needs loosening. Scatter over a garnish of parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
- Don’t throw away those shells. The stock is what gives this dish its depth – it’s the step that makes it taste like it came from a restaurant on the Adriatic coast.
- Don’t overcook the seafood. Take it off the heat the moment it’s just done -it will continue to cook slightly when you toss it with the pasta.
- Fresh pasta cooks fast – keep a close eye on it. You want it just under al dente before it goes into the sauce.
- Don’t add parmesan. Italians never put cheese on seafood pasta.
