Tasty bay scallops and shrimp are tossed into a simple pasta dish and drizzled with alfredo sauce. Anybody can make this recipe at home for a special meal or just because seafood is wonderful!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bay scallop pasta, seafood pasta, scallop pasta recipe, alfredo sauce
Servings: 4
Calories: 967kcal
Author: Mirlandra
Ingredients
2Tablespoonsbutter
2Tablespoonsolive oil
8ozshrimppeels and tails removed (I used size medium which is 41-50 count/pound)
1poundbay scallops
½teaspoonOld Bay Seasoning(or Cajun Seasoning)
1poundangle hair pasta(or favorite pasta)
2cupsmilk
1cupcream40% fat (see note before making substitutions)
6Tablespoonssalted butter
½teaspoonminced garlic
6Tablespoonsall-purpose flour
½teaspoonsea salt
½teaspoonblack peppercoarsely ground
1cupParmesan cheesegrated (see note)
Mushrooms optionalsee note
Instructions
To Make the Pasta:
Put a large pot of water on to boil with two teaspoons of salt in it. When the water comes to a boil add the pasta and cook according to package directions.
To Make the Sauce:
Combine the milk and cream in a microwave safe container. Heat in the microwave for two minutes and 30 seconds
Meanwhile put 6 Tablespoons of butter and the ½ teaspoon of garlic into the large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Whisk occasionally until melted.
Turn the heat down to medium. Whisk in the flour, salt and pepper. Cook, whisking constantly for 30 seconds.
Pour in a few Tablespoons of the warm milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Continue to add a few Tablespoons of the warm milk at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. After the sauce is thin add the rest of the milk mixture and whisk again to combine.
Add the cheese and whisk frequently until the cheese is melted and the sauce is slightly thickened. The sauce can be served at whatever thickness you like. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be. Generally, I serve it when it is the consistency of slightly thin gravy.
Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper if desired.
Keep the sauce on low heat, whisking occasionally while you cook the seafood.
To Make the Seafood:
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium- high heat. When it melts add the scallops and cook for 1-2 minutes until starting to color and then flip and do the same on the other side. If the scallops start to release a lot of water pour it off. Remove the scallops to a plate.
In the same skillet heat 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. When it melts and sizzles add the shrimp. Cook shrimp for about 2 minutes on the first side.
Add the Old Bay or Cajun seasoning and flip the shrimp with a spatula to cook it about a minute on the 2nd side until cooked through. Remove shrimp to the plate with the scallops.
To Assemble:
Drain the cooked pasta.
Plate the pasta in a large family style flat bowl or in individual pasta plates.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and scatter the cooked seafood on top.
Notes
Choosing Cream: High quality cream should be 40% fat. You can choose to use a lower fat cream here or even switch to half and half but understand that the recipe won’t be as rich and creamy.Parmesan Cheese: This is not the powdery, crumbly stuff sold on a store shelf. I mean buying a block of parmesan cheese and grating it or buying high quality grated cheese in the refrigerated section. If you are buying the cheese already grated make sure it doesn’t have a lot of fillers that will prevent it from melting. I use the pre-grated parmesan sold by Costco in all of my recipes. It melts very well. The bag is large but I put whatever I don’t use in the freezer in two cup portions so I always have parmesan on hand.Mushrooms: When I make this, I sauté up some sliced mushrooms and add them to the dish. We are primary mushroom fans in this house. If you want to add mushrooms plan on any amount up to 8oz, sliced. I used brown cremini mushrooms and sautéed them in some butter and salt before I did the scallops.