Seafood Arrabiata – Mussels and Shrimp in Spicy Marinara Sauce
Todd and I took a trip to Central City a few weeks ago and had a really good meal at their Tuscan Steakhouse , Ardore. We both had steaks – which were really good – but the highlight of the meal was the appetizer, mussels a la diavola, served with grilled foccaccia – SO GOOD.
We were up valley yesterday and I decided to duck into the little gourmet shop and get some Mussels. At around $4 to $5 a pound, mussels are a pretty economical seafood around here. I stretched them a bit with some Shrimp I had in the freezer. My sauce was a little spicy – so I’m going to cut the red pepper down in the recipe below, but other than that – this was one of the better meals I’ve made lately. We served ours with Penne and it was perfect!
I started my sauce with a jar of Classico Marinara. You can make yours from scratch if you like, I didnt feel like it as it was getting late and I needed a but of a helper. I think this worked great. You can substitute your favorite sauce, the key is to find one that is truly tomato-ey and not too sweet.
Ingredients
- 1 Jar Classico Marinara Sauce
- 2 Shallots, minced fine
- 1 Large or 2 Small Cloves Garlic, minced fine
- 1 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper Fflakes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Dash Salt
- Dash Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 to 3/4 lb Mussels (I like PEI) cleaned and de-bearded
- 1/2 lb 26-31 Shrimp, thawed and shelled
- 1 Box Good Quality Penne (I usually use Barilla)
Directions
- Clean your seafood and have it standing by on ice or chilled in the fridge
- Put a pot of water on to boil for your Penne
- Dice your Shallots and Garlic
- Melt Butter and add Olive Oil to a large skillet that has a lid
- Add Shallots, Garlic, Salt & Pepper to the melted Butter & Oil mixture
- Saute until the Garlic just starts to brown, then add in 1/2 tsp of the crushed red pepper, stir
- Add your jar of Marinara Sauce and the Italian Seasoning, stir, cover and reduce to medium low
- Drop your 'Pasta into the boiling water.
- When Pasta is about 5 minutes from done, add your Shrimp and Mussels to the sauce, cover and simmer until Shrimp is pink and Mussels are open.
- Drain your Pasta & Serve
- Great with a salad and some crusty bread.
