When the temperature drops and the week finally slows down, there are few things more satisfying than a pot of something rich, fragrant, and deeply comforting on the stove. This seafood pasta – linguine or fettuccine tossed in a creamy Napolitana sauce with prawns, calamari, and mussels – is exactly the kind of weekend cooking that makes staying in feel like the better option.
The sauce, a buttery, herb-laced tomato base finished with a splash of white wine and a swirl of cream, comes together in under 30 minutes and fills the kitchen with the kind of warmth no heater can quite replicate. Pair the pasta dish with a well-chilled bottle of Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir – the contrast of cold glass and steaming bowl is half the pleasure – and you have a Friday night that needs nothing else.
Serves: 4
Best served with a nice crisply chilled bottle of Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir.
Ingredients
The Seafood & Pasta
- 500g Linguine or fettuccine
- 250g Prawns, peeled and deveined
- 250g Calamari rings, cleaned
- 500g Fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
Napolitana-Di Maria Sauce
- 400g Canned crushed Tomatoes (or high-quality passata)
- 60g Unsalted butter
- 30ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 25g Garlic, finely minced
- 120ml Dry white wine
- 60ml Heavy cream
- 10g Fresh basil, torn (for the Napolitana base)
- 15g Fresh parsley, chopped
- 3g Red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
- Boil 500g of pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 100ml of pasta water before draining.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat 15ml of olive oil. Sear the prawns and calamari for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the white wine and the mussels. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes until they open. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and set them aside with the prawns. Discard any that don’t open. Keep the wine/mussel liquid in the pan.
- Add the remaining olive oil and minced garlic to the wine liquid in the skillet. Sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the torn basil. Simmer on medium-low for 8-10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the tomato acidity mellows.
- Stir in the butter and the cream. Whisk gently until the sauce turns a creamy orange-red. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Toss well to coat every strand. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
- Fold the prawns, calamari, and mussels (and any juices they’ve released) back into the sauce. Heat for 1 minute just to warm the seafood through.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe of the day: This creamy seafood pasta is your cold weekend sorted
When the temperature drops and the week finally slows down, there are few things more satisfying than a pot of something rich, fragrant, and deeply comforting on the stove. This seafood pasta is exactly the kind of weekend cooking that makes staying in feel like the better option.
Ingredients
Scale
The Seafood & Pasta
- 500g Linguine or fettuccine
- 250g Prawns, peeled and deveined
- 250g Calamari rings, cleaned
- 500g Fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
Napolitana-Di Maria Sauce
- 400g Canned crushed Tomatoes (or high-quality passata)
- 60g Unsalted butter
- 30ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 25g Garlic, finely minced
- 120ml Dry white wine
- 60ml Heavy cream
- 10g Fresh basil, torn (for the Napolitana base)
- 15g Fresh parsley, chopped
- 3g Red pepper flakes
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Method
- Boil 500g of pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 100ml of pasta water before draining.
- In a large, deep skillet, heat 15ml of olive oil. Sear the prawns and calamari for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the white wine and the mussels. Cover and steam for 3–4 minutes until they open. Use a slotted spoon to remove the mussels and set them aside with the prawns. Discard any that don’t open. Keep the wine/mussel liquid in the pan.
- Add the remaining olive oil and minced garlic to the wine liquid in the skillet. Sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the torn basil. Simmer on medium-low for 8–10 minutes until the sauce thickens and the tomato acidity mellows.
- Stir in the butter and the cream. Whisk gently until the sauce turns a creamy orange-red. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Toss well to coat every strand. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
- Fold the prawns, calamari, and mussels (and any juices they’ve released) back into the sauce. Heat for 1 minute just to warm the seafood through.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe by Karabo Molatsana, sous chef at The Maslow Sandton.
