Marinera Recipe

Rinse mussels under cold water; discard any with broken shells or that don’t close when tapped. Pat dry. If using live shrimp, peel and devein, leaving tails on if desired. Cut fish into 1-inch cubes if using. Pat all seafood dry and refrigerate until needed.

Finely dice onion, carrot, and celery (classic soffritto). Mince garlic and chop parsley. Measure out wine, stock, and tomatoes.

Sweat aromatics

In a large wide sauté pan or shallow Dutch oven set over medium heat, warm the olive oil and butter until butter melts and foams. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften and onion becomes translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to brown it.

Build flavor

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until it deepens in color. Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Let the wine reduce by roughly half, about 2–3 minutes.

Simmer sauce

Add the crushed tomatoes, fish/seafood stock, bay leaf, dried oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Let simmer, partially covered, for 15 minutes to meld flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Finish sauce

Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley. Keep sauce over low heat while you cook the seafood.

Increase heat to medium so the sauce is at a lively simmer. Add the fish cubes first (if using) and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until they are opaque and starting to flake.

Add the squid rings and cook 1.5–2 minutes; they should become firm and opaque but not rubbery.

Add the shrimp, stirring them into the sauce. Cook 2–3 minutes until they turn pink and curl and are just cooked through.

Finally add the mussels, nestling them into the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and steam for 4–6 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until all mussels have opened. Discard any mussels that remain closed after cooking.

Gently taste the sauce and adjust salt, pepper, or lemon if needed. Stir in an extra tablespoon of chopped parsley for brightness.

If serving with pasta: toss 6 oz cooked linguine with a ladle of the marinera sauce in a separate pan, portion pasta into warm bowls and ladle the seafood and remaining sauce over the top.

If serving with bread: spoon the marinera (seafood and sauce) into a large shallow bowl. Garnish with additional parsley and serve with lemon wedges and crusty bread for dipping.

Serve immediately while hot.