A cross-cultural seafood pasta inspired by Ruth Reichl’s Spaghetti allo Scoglio, adapted to make smart use of leftover broth from a Cajun seafood boil with garlic butter sauce.
My Favorite Seafood Pasta
This recipe is a delightful cross-cultural fusion of Italian and Cajun cuisines. Inspired by Ruth Reichl’s Spaghetti allo Scoglio, it is cleverly adapted to make smart use of leftover broth from a Cajun seafood boil with garlic butter sauce. The pasta finishes directly in a small amount of the broth, absorbing concentrated shellfish flavor while staying rich and cohesive.
Ingredients
Broth Base- Leftover seafood boil broth (strained), about 2-3 cups total. Save the rest for another use.
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
Aromatics & Flavor
- 1/4 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- Black pepper, to taste
Pasta & Seafood
- 1 lb spaghetti or linguine
- ¾–1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 lb mussels, scrubbed and debearded (optional)
Optional Finishers
- Extra parsley, chopped
- Lemon wedges
Directions
- Warm the leftover seafood boil broth in a small pot over low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and parsley and let it gently simmer for 10 minutes to re-open the aromatics. Strain and keep hot. You should have about 3–4 cups total.
- In a wide, deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 30–60 seconds.
- Pour in the white wine and let it reduce by about half.
- Add the mussels, cover, and cook until they open, 2–3 minutes. Transfer opened mussels to a bowl and discard any that remain closed.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until 2 minutes shy of al dente, then drain.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook just until they soften and release some juice.
- Add about 1½ cups of the warm broth to the skillet, then add the drained pasta. Cook, tossing constantly, letting the pasta absorb the liquid.
- Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, 1–2 minutes, adding more broth a splash at a time as needed. The sauce should cling to the pasta, not pool.
- Return the mussels to the skillet along with any juices. Toss gently, add parsley and black pepper, and finish with a final splash of broth if needed.
- Serve immediately with lemon wedges and extra parsley.
- You will likely use 2 or so cups total, not the full amount — stop when the pasta is glossy and cohesive.
- Because the broth already contains butter and seasoning, additional salt is usually unnecessary.
- If the broth is very rich, a small splash of pasta water can lighten it without diluting flavor.