Creamy garlic seafood pasta

This seafood pasta with creamy garlic sauce is the perfect dinner recipe, whether you need to get dinner on the table fast or impress guests.

Creamy garlic seafood pasta

Ingredients needed

  • Seafood: I used shrimp/prawns, calamari, squid heads and mussels. Scallops and clams are also good additions. I wouldn’t necessarily add fish as it can break up too much during tossing but you could always had seared chunks of fish right before serving. Frozen seafood is perfect suitable, just thaw completely and pat dry with paper towels before cooking.
  • Butter. 
  • Fresh garlic. 
  • Lemon juice. 
  • White wine. 
  • Cream. 
  • Parsley. 
  • Salt and pepper. 
  • Chilli flakes (optional).
  • Pasta. I like using long pasta for this recipe but any pasta of your choice will work.
Seafood, herbs and garlic.

How to make seafood pasta

  1. Cook the seafood: In a large pan, add a splash of oil and allow to heat up. Season the seafood with salt and pepper then cook in batches until golden brown. The shrimp/prawns should take no more than a minute per side (depending on size) and the calamari and mussels will take only a few minutes to cook. Take care not to overcook the seafood as they will go tough and rubbery. Rather undercook slightly as it will cook a little more while being tossed with the sauce and pasta.
  2. Make the sauce: Remove the seafood from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, melt the butter and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook until fragrant then pour in the lemon juice and wine. Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce by half. Pour in the cream and allow to come to a simmer. Allow to cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add the seafood (and any of its resting juices) and parsley and stir to combine.
  3. Combine and serve: Toss the sauce with cooked pasta and a splash of the pasta cooking water and toss to coat the pasta. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
Creamy garlic seafood pasta

Can you reheat seafood pasta?

The easiest way to reheat seafood pasta (and any pasta, really), is to place it in a pan set over medium-low heat with a splash of liquid. Water, stock or cream can be used. Slowly reheat then gently. I wouldn’t recommend freezing this pasta as the sauce might split once thawed. Leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Serving suggestions

  1. Easy focaccia bread
  2. Easy side salad with lemon dressing
Creamy garlic seafood pasta

Seafood recipes

  1. Mussels in white wine garlic sauce
  2. Creamy Lobster Pasta
  3. Shrimp and grits with bacon and corn
  4. Panfried scallops with white wine garlic sauce
Creamy garlic seafood pasta with lemon in serving bowl.

Creamy garlic seafood pasta

This seafood pasta with creamy garlic sauce is the perfect dinner recipe, whether you need to get dinner on the table fast or impress guests.
4.64 from 411 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Seafood pasta, Seafood pasta recipe, Seafood pasta sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Calories: 454kcal
Author: Alida Ryder
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 250 g (½lb) shrimp / prawns peeled and deveined
  • 150 g (5oz) mussel meat (approximately 500g with shells)
  • 150 g (5oz) calamari tubes / squid heads
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 1-2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup cream
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup parsley finely chopped
  • 500 g (1lb) pasta cooked + 1 cup cooking water reserved

Instructions

  • In a large pan, add a splash of oil and allow to heat up.
  • Season the seafood with salt and pepper then cook in batches until golden brown.
  • The shrimp/prawns should take no more than a minute per side (depending on size) and the calamari and mussels will take only a few minutes to cook. Take care not to overcook the seafood as they will go tough and rubbery. Rather undercook slightly as it will cook a little more while being tossed with the sauce and pasta.
  • Remove the seafood from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan, melt the butter and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Cook until fragrant then pour in the lemon juice and wine.
  • Bring to a simmer and allow to reduce by half.
  • Pour in the cream and allow to come to a simmer. Allow to cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  • Add the seafood (and any of its resting juices) and parsley and stir to combine.
  • Toss the sauce with cooked pasta and a splash of the pasta cooking water and toss to coat the pasta. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 713IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 3mg

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28 Comments

  1. This really is the perfect creamy seafood pasta dish, with just the right depth of flavour – not too much garlic or chili (both of which we love!). I used scallops instead of calamari.

  2. Went down a real treat. Next time for personal preference I might add a touch more garlic. Really felt like I made something quite exquisite. Thank you for the recipe. Will definitely use again.

  3. Excellent recipe! I grabbed a bag of frozen chowder mix from my local seafood store here on PEI, and this was just delicous. Will be making it again and experimenting with different kinds of seafood.

  4. Absolutely fine dining quality and taste so easy to make was a fantastic hit with the family
    Made the cheesy garlic loaf for a side
    Yummy

  5. I was a fan of this recipe but I followed the recipe to a T and it came out quite runny and watery. Next time I’ll add more flour or less oat milk.

  6. I tried cooking this yesterday and my girlfriend and I both loved it. And it was easy to make too. Thank you very much for this recipe .. I’ve added some bits of fish (smoked salmon and smoked haddock) and I added dill to the sauce to bring down sour taste from a cheap wine I bought . It worked well. Again thank you Alida ..it was yummy