Frutti di Mare Pasta Recipe: How to Make Italian Frutti di Mare

Frutti di mare is a classic Italian pasta dish that pairs the bright, briny flavors of shellfish with a light tomato sauce. It’s commonly prepared with a medley of seafood including shrimp, mussels, scallops, clams, and squid cooked in a garlicky, sometimes spicy marinara sauce. Typically made with long kinds of pasta like spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, or angel hair, this popular delicacy utilizes the variety of fresh fish found along the Italian coasts to create a savory dish that allows the flavor of the shellfish to shine.

Frutti di mare pasta is an easy dish to customize depending on the type of fish or pasta you like. Though it’s a simple dish that is difficult to do wrong, there are a few things you can do to make sure your frutti di mare pasta is the best it can be.

1. 1. Adjust for homemade pasta. This simple dish can be made with homemade pasta for added freshness. Reduce the pasta boiling time to 1–3 minutes if you decide to use fresh pasta over dried pasta. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce right before finishing the dish to avoid overcooking.
2. 2. Salt your sauce sparingly. As you cook the fish for your frutti di mare, the shellfish will release reserves of saltwater into the sauce, which––in addition to the salted pasta water––may provide all of the salt that the fish needs. Salt the dish after you incorporate the pasta and pasta water, which will prevent the dish from becoming overly salty.
3. 3. Use fresh, local seafood when possible. The flavor and quality of the seafood used in this simple dish can make or break it, so it’s important to use the freshest shellfish possible. If you don’t live in an area where fresh seafood is readily available, opt for the highest-quality frozen seafood you can find.
4. 4. Check for dead mollusks. Dead clams and mussels aren’t safe for consumption, so it’s important to check for any dead specimens before eating. When shopping for clams and mussels, make sure the shells are shut tight. Any mollusks that haven’t opened their shells during the cooking process are likely dead and should be discarded before you serve the dish.
5. 5. Don’t skip the anchovies. While the anchovy fillets––which can be purchased in the canned seafood section of any grocery store––are optional in this recipe, these deeply briny fish will add depth to this simple sauce.