Frutti Di Mare Recipe

Clean and dry

Rinse mussels under cold water, scrub shells and remove beards. Discard any mussels that stay open when tapped. Pat shrimp, calamari and scallops dry with paper towels. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper.

If using frozen seafood, fully thaw in the refrigerator and drain off excess liquid before patting dry to avoid watering down the sauce.

Sweat aromatics

In a large wide skillet or shallow sauté pan over medium heat, add 4 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter. When the butter melts and oil shimmers, add the finely chopped onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and soft, about 6–8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped Calabrese peppers and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Deglaze and reduce

Increase heat to medium-high and pour in the 120 ml dry white wine. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Allow the wine to reduce by about half, roughly 2–3 minutes.

Build the sauce

Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the 800 g crushed tomatoes and 120 ml fish or vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes to concentrate flavors. If the tomatoes taste very acidic, stir in the 1 teaspoon sugar. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Finish flavoring

Stir in 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, the zest and juice of 1 lemon, and optionally 6 torn basil leaves. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer while you cook the seafood.

Cook mussels

Increase heat under the sauce to medium-high. Add the cleaned mussels to the simmering sauce, cover the pan and steam until most mussels have opened, about 4–6 minutes. Remove any mussels that do not open and set aside in the pan.

Cook shrimp, calamari, scallops

Using a separate large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook 1–1.5 minutes per side until just pink; transfer to the sauce. Quickly sauté calamari rings 1–2 minutes until opaque and slightly firm, add to the sauce. Add the bay scallops and sauté 1–2 minutes until just cooked and opaque; transfer to the sauce as well. Alternatively, you can add these seafood items directly to the simmering sauce for the last 2–3 minutes, but avoid overcooking—shrimp, calamari and scallops cook quickly.

Stir seafood gently into the sauce to combine and warm through for 1–2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or a squeeze more lemon if desired.

Ladle the Frutti di Mare into large shallow bowls, making sure to include broth, mussels, shrimp, calamari and scallops. Garnish with the remaining parsley and a light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Serve immediately with crusty bread or toasted crostini for sopping up the spicy red sauce. Offer lemon wedges at the table.