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Recipe Detail Page
Lemon Basil Seafood Pasta
Summer 2012
There are as many ways to make a summer seafood medley as there are shells in the ocean. For our lakeside soirée, we poached the seafood in a shallot-wine broth, then captured all the precious juices in a bouilla baisse style sauce—perfect to spoon over a platter of pasta or rice to soak up every drop. With vineripened tomatoes and handfuls of fresh basil tossed in at the last minute, it’s chock full of garden freshness.
2 lbs (1 kg) fresh mussels
1 lb (500 g) fresh shrimp or 1 pkg (450 g) frozen shelled shrimp, preferably extra-large black tiger shrimp
1 lb (500 g) sea or bay scallops or 1 pkg (400 g) frozen sea scallops, preferably Canadian
1 cooked lobster (optional)
1 cup (250 mL) white wine
1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped shallots
1 tsp (5 mL) coarse sea salt or ½ tsp (2 mL) table salt
1 lemon
2 tbsp (30 mL) Cognac or brandy (optional)
1½ tsp (7 mL) dried tarragon or herbes de Provence
¼ tsp (1 mL) saffron threads
14 oz (425 g) pasta such as fettuccine, mafalde or bucatini
2 ripe but firm tomatoes1½ cups (375 mL) fresh basil leaves
3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil
1 To prepare seafood, begin by cleaning mussels. Place under cold running water, scrub and pull off any dark beards protruding from the shells. Discard any that are open or will not close when tapped on the side of the sink. Place in a bowl. If using frozen shrimp or scallops, defrost by following package instructions. Shell shrimp. Drain scallops well and slice any large scallops in half, forming
2 rounds. Remove lobster meat from the shell, cut into large pieces and set aside. To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of water to the boil. 2 Pour wine into a large, wide saucepan and add shallots and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Add mussels. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Stir mussels and, using a large slotted spoon, remove opened ones to a large bowl, leaving as many shallots as possible in the pan. Discard mussels that will not open after being cooked another minute or 2.
3 Add shrimp to the boiling wine broth. Stir constantly until they are pink and firm, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, add shrimp to the mussels.
4 Add scallops to the boiling wine broth. Stir gently and often until scallops are firm and opaque in the centre, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, add scallops to the shrimp and mussels. Drain liquid collected in seafood bowl back into the wine broth.
5 Remove peel from lemon using a zester and save the lemon. Add zest to the wine broth along with Cognac and tarragon. Sprinkle in the saffron, crushing between your fingers. Place pan over medium-high and boil until reduced to about a cup (250 mL). This may take 5 minutes.
6 Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook following package directions. Squeeze 2 tbsp (30 mL) juice from the lemon. Slice tomatoes in half and squeeze out seeds and juice. Chop the pulp. Shred basil.
7 When the broth is reduced, add 1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice and then, whisking constantly, slowly pour in the olive oil. Return all the seafood including juices that have collected in the bowl to the pan. Add the lobster pieces. Stir gently just until warmed through. Taste and add more lemon juice if you wish. Stir in the tomatoes and half the basil.
8 Spread pasta over a large platter and spoon seafood and sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining basil.
Serves 6
SUMMER SEAFOOD SALAD: Prepare seafood mixture as above until the olive oil is whisked into the sauce in point 7. Do not add the seafood but pour the sauce over the cooked seafood and stir until coated. Refrigerate until cool or up to a day. Cover if refrigerating more than a few hours. When ready to serve, cover a large platter with mixed salad greens. Stir the tomatoes and half the basil into the seafood mixture. Taste and add lemon juice if needed. Pour over the greens and arrange the lobster pieces over top.
