This seafood and garlic linguine is made with perfectly cooked prawns and calamari, mixed with a tomato sauce that is flavoured with anchovies, capers, white wine and chilli flakes. Cherry tomatoes are tossed through at the end and warmed until their juices just start to release. This delicious seafood and garlic linguine will take less than twenty minutes to pull together and will surely please any pasta lover!
I have always wanted to make a killer seafood pasta. I have tried many marinara recipes (pasta with seafood and tomato sauce in Australian terms) which have been OK but never brilliant. By pure chance, I saw Jamie Oliver’s YouTube video the other day and it inspired me to make this seafood and garlic linguine. I now have a new favourite pasta dish that will not only taste amazing but is also one of the quickest to make!
MUSHY PRAWNS!!!
I hate mushy prawns. But for the longest time no matter what I did, whether it was flash fry or boil, they would always come out soft. This really TICKED ME OFF since I would forced myself to eat it because prawns are NOT CHEAP!
A quick google search will tell you “this and that” to avoid crap prawns. Leave the shell on, leave it off, take the heads off or thaw in fridge blah blah blah. Tried it all and nothing worked. So I stopped buying it from the deli and bought the packaged snap frozen variety instead.
I now no longer have a problem with mushy prawns. The taste, texture and consistency of snap frozen prawns is so much better. I honestly believe the issue is that the prawns are left to thaw for far too long which destroys the flesh. Obviously, it is up to you where you source your food and this is just my experience.
The Flavour Bombs!
The three ingredients that really make this dish are the garlic, capers and anchovies. Since this is quite a quick dish to make, it is very important that these ingredients are given ample time to infuse with the olive oil.
This recipe uses a lot anchovies. If you are worried it will be too fishy or strong, don’t be. Simmering them in oil will mellow them out and add an amazing flavour to the sauce!
What Wine to Use?
For this seafood and garlic linguine dish I only use pinot grigo / gris. I honestly think it has the best flavour for this dish. I do not believe you need to go out and buy a super expensive bottle unless you plan to drink it with your meal. Anything between 5 – 10 dollars a bottle will be sufficient.
My Best Tips for a Success
- Add the olive oil and garlic into a cold pan and let it slowly get to temperature. This will allow the garlic to infuse with the oil without burning it.
- Make sure that all of your ingredients are prepped before starting. This dish is very quick to make.
- I find tongs ineffective in mixing the pasta together with the sauce. This is because the capers and anchovy bits tend to stick to the sides of the pan and not evenly distribute. So, I use 2 wooden spoons to scoop up all the flavour from the sides and then gently toss it into the pasta. Trust me it works.
Cooking Seafood and Garlic Linguine
Other Similar Recipes
- Creamy Mushroom and Bacon Linguine
- Pressure Cooker and Oxtail with Pappardelle Pasta
- Cheap Pasta Stir Fry
- Seafood and Pork Udon Noodle Soup
This Recipe Features In…
Thank you Delish for featuring this recipe in your 15 Squid Recipes You’re Going to Love article. Check out their article for more delicious squid recipes.
Show Us Your Creations!
If you try any of our recipes, Steph and I would love to see your creations! Please share it with us on Instagram using #scruffandsteph and @scruffandsteph! We would also appreciate any likes / shares / follows on our Facebook page, Pinterest and Instagram. Thank you for your support!
Seafood and Garlic Linguine
Ingredients
- 250 gm linguine pasta
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 6 anchovies, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
- chilli flakes, to your taste (optional)
- 8 prawns
- 1 squid tube, cut into rings
- 1/2 cup white wine (pinot gris)
- 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/8 tsp salt or to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
Garnish
- 2 lemon wedges
- 3 sprigs parsley leaves, finely chopped (without the stem)
Instructions
- Prepare all of your ingredients.
- Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
- Add the olive oil and garlic into a cold fry pan. Turn the heat to medium and allow the garlic to infuse.
- Once the garlic is bubbling (roughly 3.5 minutes), add the anchovies, capers and chilli flakes (if using). With a wooden spoon mash the anchovy into the oil and simmer for a few minutes.
- Check if the pasta is nearly done, about 80% cooked. If so, proceed to the next step, if not take the fry pan off the heat and wait until the pasta is further cooked.
- Turn the heat up to medium high, and add the prawns and squid into the fry pan. Cook for roughly 30 seconds.
- Add the wine, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Stir until thickened. (If the sauce appears to be thin, then add more tomato paste.)
- Add the pasta straight from the pot and into the fry pan. Combine thoroughly with wooden spoons.
- Gently toss in the tomatoes then taste check for seasoning. Adjust to your preference.
- Divide into plates and squeeze some lemon juice over the top.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
Just cooked seafood linguine for wifes birthday comments where …better than restaurant quality 👌
Hi Steve! Thank you for your kind words. Hope your wife had a great birthday!
This turned out phenomenal. It has so much flavor in it. I will definitely use this recipe again…maybe add more seafood to it next time.
Yes! We really love this recipe as well. Thank you for leaving us a comment!
Hi, tried your recipe. Sorry but quantities are too much! Half the linguine would be enough, as would half the anchovies. The lemon made it far too acidic considering the capers and tomatoes are also acidic (in UK anyway) so really don’t need the lemon on top! Just a few pointers from a 75 yr old cook married into a mediterranean family.
Thanks for the tips June! Sorry it didn’t work out for you.
This was beautiful, I did tweek it a bit, substuted anchovies for 2 teaspoons of fish sauce and instead of capers used 6 fine chopped green olives & a teaspoon of tapenade, oh & a little honey. I also used less pasta.
My husband was very impressed, definitely making it again.
I think you have taken the recipe and made it your own! Glad it worked out for you!
My two teenage boys adored this – we all loved the punchy flavours. Increased quantities a bit to allow for their huge appetites!
Thank you Kate!