New Year’s Seafood Fettuccine is one of my all time favorite meals. I traditionally make it on New Year’s Eve, Christmas Eve or at least, at the beginning of every year (hence the name). I eat a variety of shellfish pastas when I dine out and make several versions when I make it at home. I can’t seem to get enough and I like all the variations. If you love shellfish and pasta, be sure to try my Shrimp, Scallops and Asparagus Linguine and my Shrimp, Linguine and Fresh Tomato Sauce. And if you are looking to lighten up these dishes, omit the pasta and try my Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp Scampi and my Spaghetti Squash with Seafood Marinara too. As you can see, I love the combination in all its forms.
This is also a pretty easy dish to make and you can make lots of substitutions to make it your own.
You can easily substitute spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle for the fettuccine. For shellfish, you could also add or substitute crab, crayfish, clams, and mussels. You can also use any combination that you like. I’d just use approximately the same amount of shellfish so you get a great serving for each person. I wrote this recipe for two heaping portions, but it serves three beautifully.
If you don’t have time to make my marinara sauce, there is no harm in using a good store bought brand. Rao’s Marinara Sauce remains my favorite and can be bought in most grocery stores and online.
The big debate is always about adding cheese to seafood pasta dishes. If you are a traditionalist, they will say never do it. I, on the other hand, have been putting cheese on my seafood pastas for as long as I can remember. So you decide. I love shaving the Parmesan using a vegetable peeler so you get substantial shavings of the cheese. But, feel free to grate it on if using. Just use the “good stuff” please. None of that stuff you buy already grated in a container, or heaven forbid, a can!!!!
This dish can be made very quickly once your water is boiling and your sauce is heating in the skillet. The whole thing will come together in under 10 minutes so make sure you have everything ready to go. You’ll want your shellfish dried, prepped and seasoned. Have your chopped or torn basil and cheese ready to add.
One important note about how I cook the seafood. I used to cook the shellfish first and then add it to my heated sauce. Then, for awhile, I’d heat my sauce and cook the shellfish in the hot sauce. Both versions work but, both approaches tended to overcook the delicate shellfish. I find that if you put your prepped seafood in a room temperature or slightly chilled sauce, the fish cooks slowly and you can control the cooking much better. The fish don’t get overcooked and they are just infused with the marinara sauce. I have found this to be the best way to cook the shellfish. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.
Follow the directions for a fast and amazing meal. Be sure to add a great Kitchen Sink Salad to start and add some Garlic Bread on the side for a delicious and satisfying dinner. Enjoy.
For other seafood recipes, check out some of these.
Tagliatelle with Shrimp, Capers, Lemon and Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
New Year’s Seafood Fettuccine
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 Oz. Dry fettuccine
- ½ Lb. Large Shrimp, deveined and shelled
- ½ Lb. Sea Scallops, muscle removed
- 2 4-6 Oz. Lobster tails, cut in half
- 2 Cups Marinara Sauce
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh basil, chopped or torn
- Shaved or grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Make the sauce as instructed in the marinara sauce recipe. You can make this up to a week ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator. For this recipe, you’ll need 2 cups. Add room temperature sauce to a large skillet. Do NOT heat your sauce before making the dish. If you are making the sauce on the day you are making this recipe, let it cool completely.
- Prep your seafood. Cut your lobster tails in half using kitchen shears and/or a very sharp chef’s knife. Remove the abductor muscle from the scallops. Dry the lobster tails, shrimp and scallops with paper towel and liberally season with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make sure it is heavily seasoned with salt. It should taste like the sea. (I love when chefs say that, it makes it perfectly clear that this should be salty). It is the only chance for the pasta to get seasoned.
- Place your prepped seafood on top of the sauce in the skillet. Press down gently so one side in completely immersed in the sauce. Top with the torn or chopped fresh basil. Turn the heat to medium-low and bring the sauce to a low simmer. You’ll see little bubbles in the sauce. Let the sauce heat through and cook the first side of the seafood. After the sauce has been simmering for two minutes, gently flip over each piece of shellfish and gently push down into the sauce. The heat of the sauce is gently cooking the seafood.
- Add your fettuccine to the boiling water at the same time as you start to heat the sauce and fish. Cook as the package directs minus one minute. You’ll finish the pasta in the sauce.
- You will cook the shell fish for another 3 -4 minutes on the second side until the shrimp are pink and slightly curled, the scallops are opaque and the lobster meat is cooked through. The lobster shells will curl slightly. Don’t over cook.
- Drain the cooked fettuccine and add to the skillet with the sauce and seafood. Toss to combine everything and make sure the pasta is coated in the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese if using and toss in more fresh, chopped basil.
- Serve in pasta bowls with the shellfish arranged on top. Serve with more cheese if using.
