Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 lb. small clams such as littleneck or Manila, scrubbed
- 1/2 lb. mussels, scrubbed and debearded if necessary
- 1/2 lb. fresh-cooked lump crabmeat, picked over for shell fragments
- 2 Tbs. salt
- 1 lb. spaghetti or linguine
- 1/3 cup minced fresh basil
Directions:
Cook the seafood
In a large fry pan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the garlic, shallot and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and sauté until they are just opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.
Add the wine, clams and mussels to the pan, discarding any mussels or clams that fail to close to the touch. Raise the heat to medium, cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the clams and mussels open, about 10 minutes. Discard any empty shells and any unopened clams or mussels. Add the shrimp back to the pan along with the crabmeat and warm briefly to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes.
Cook the pasta
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the salt and pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When the pasta is not quite al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions, drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Add the pasta to the sauce along with the basil. Toss to combine. Warm briefly over low heat to blend the flavors. Add as much of the cooking water as needed to loosen the sauce and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Pasta, by Julia della Croce (Oxmoor House, 2006).