Tomato Seafood Pasta

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For a fun and healthy twist on the classic Tomato Based pasta, why not amp up the flavor by adding some fresh Seafood into the mix? That’s exactly what we’re done with this amazingly easy Tomato Seafood Pasta recipe. The brightness and acidity of the Tomatoes are a perfect pairing with freshly cooked Seafood, and make for a delicious Sauce to mix in with Pasta for a hearty meal

How to make a classic Tomato Seafood Pasta dish

This recipe follows a very classic approach to stove-top cooking. Cook the Vegetables and Aromatics in a pan with some Oil and seasoning until tender, add the Wine and Tomatoes, reduce, add the Seafood, and serve! It’s quite simple, like most great recipes, which is probably why we love the dish so much!

The key to perfecting this Tomato Seafood Pasta recipe is all about keeping things simple and following the process. Add the right ingredients at the right time to build flavors and to avoid over / undercooking them. That’s about the only ‘trick’ to making this dish, otherwise it’s very simple and, as always, relies on good quality ingredients to really shine

Make sure that you prepare the Seafood correctly

The true star of this dish is the Seafood. For our recipe we’re using a combination of fresh Shrimp / Prawns and Salmon. You can really use any combination of Shellfish and Fish that you like. You can use Crab, Mussels, Langoustines, even Lobster for the Shellfish if you’re feeling fancy! For the Fish, other great choices can be Tuna, Cod, Monkfish, any kind of Fish that’s going to keep its shape when cooked

We’ve opted for a combination of Shrimp and Salmon because we always get exceptional quality of these two types of Seafood at our local fish monger. Shrimp are always a great addition into Tomato-based sauces, as they add so much flavor to the sauce itself. As for Salmon, we just love it and it’s great in this dish!

Removing the Skin from Fish

Preparing the Seafood is critical for this dish. For the Salmon, make sure that the skin has been removed before cooking. We won’t be searing the skin in this dish, so you can remove the skin and discard it. We’ve got a great video here on the best technique to remove the skin easily, and safely

Peel and Devein the Shrimp

For the Shrimp, it’s up to you if you want to keep the shells on or off. We’ve removed the shells in our recipe but kept the tails on. It’s great for presentation and is sometimes nice to pick up those whole Shrimp pieces by the tail and devour them!

One important step when preparing Shrimp is to ensure you peel and devein them properly. We’ve also got a great video here on the best way to peel and devein Shrimp so they’re ready for the pot

The base of this Tomato Sauce is simple, yet bursting with Flavor

Building flavors in the Tomato based sauce / Marinara Sauce is where all the flavor lies in this dish. It’s a very simple and classical approach. We begin by cooking off some Onions and Garlic in Olive Oil in the stovetop to release their wonderful flavors and fragrances

Perhaps a slight twist from the norm is the inclusion of finely sliced Fennel into the Pot. Fennel is a brilliant ingredient and when in season, has the most wonderful aniseed flavor. It’s a great inclusion in this recipe as it gives the dish another element of flavor. Fennel is a great pairing with Seafood, and we believe it should be used way more than it currently is

Add some White Wine for a subtle sweetness and acidic hit to flavor the sauce. Once it’s reduced we then add the Tomatoes for even more acid and a little bit of sweetness. Throw in some Basil, then cook the Sauce down for about 20 minutes until you get the right consistency. You don’t want to over-reduce the Sauce however as it’ll be too chunky and difficult to eat with the Pasta. So, just keep an eye on it

We then add the Seafood, which only needs to be cooked for a few minutes before it’s ready to be served on top of your favorite Pasta. Any Pasta will do, but for this recipe we’re using Spaghetti, but it really is up to you what you use

Season the dish through every step of the cooking process

The technique of Seasoning is one that can sometimes be a challenge to master in the kitchen. For most of us, we check for seasoning at the very end of the cooking process, right before serving. One technique that this dish (like most) really benefits from is when it is tasted and seasoned throughout the cooking process

By Seasoning through each step, you’re getting the best flavor out of the ingredients that you’re adding. Generally, we’d suggest seasoning this dish when you’ve cooked the Vegetables, when you’ve added the Tomato Sauce, and finally, once the Seafood has all been cooked

Each step of the cooking process will alter the flavor profile of the dish. For example, adding a bunch of Tomatoes to a dish will dilute the overall Salt levels of the dish significantly. So, you’ll likely need to add a bit more Salt into the dish at this step

Always check seasoning right before you serve too. Generally, for any dishes requiring Seafood you’ll find that a lovely hit of acid through a squeeze of Lemon Juice will completely transform the flavors. Acid helps to elevate all of the individual flavors in a dish and bring contrasting flavors (such as sweet and salty) in a more harmonious balance. Tasting and seasoning your cooking throughout is a great habit to get into to elevate your cooking

Tomato Seafood Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Salmon Filets (approximately 1 lb.)
• 1 lb. Shrimp
• 300g / 10 oz. Spaghetti or Linguini
• 800ml / 27 oz. Canned Tomatoes
• ½ Fennel, finely sliced
• ½ Brown Onion, diced
• 1 Celery Stalk, diced
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• ¼ cup Fresh Basil, whole
• 1 cup White Wine
• 1 tsp. Olive Oil
• Juice of ½ a Lemon
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Heat the Olive Oil in a large Saucepan over medium heat. Once warm, add the Onions, Celery, and Fennel along with a pinch of Salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the Vegetables are tender
2. Add the Garlic and cook for 1 more minute then pour in the White Wine. Reduce the wine by about ¾ and then add the Tomatoes and Basil. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 – 25 minutes until the Sauce has thickened slightly
3. While the Sauce is cooking, place the Pasta in a large Pot with boiling water that has been salted (about 1 tbsp. of Salt). Cook until al-dente which, depending on the Pasta will take between 8 – 10 minutes. Once cooked, strain and set aside
4. Prepare your Seafood by peeling and deveining the Shrimp and removing the Skin from the Fish. Cut the Fish into large chunks
5. Once the Sauce is at your desired consistency, add the Shrimp and Fish and cover with the Sauce. Cook them for 3 – 4 minutes until Pink and just cooked. Check Sauce for seasoning and add more Salt as required. Finish with a squeeze of Lemon Juice once the Sauce is ready for serving
6. Plate individual portions of Pasta and then top generously with the Seafood Sauce. You can add some additional Basil leaves on top to garnish. Serve immediately
   
   

Cooking simple and delicious food for dinner is so rewarding, which is exactly what this wonderful Tomato Seafood Pasta is all about. Big flavors simply prepared! If you enjoyed this dish we’ve got plenty more amazing Seafood recipes for you. Here are a few of our favorites we’d encourage you to check out

• White Wine Butter Mussels
• Garlic Butter Shrimp with Paprika
• Salmon Ceviche with Coconut
• Smoked Trout Pie
  
  

Happy Cooking!