Scallop and Prawn Cream Pasta is the ultimate rich and creamy seafood pasta with crisp parmesan topping. Ready in 30 minutes. Try it today!
Pasta Dishes are the best comfort food out there, and this seafood pasta with creamy sauce is an excellent way to change things up from a standard Spaghetti Dinner. This scallop and prawn pasta dish is a delicious Weekday Meal that the entire family is sure to love. For an equally amazing seafood pasta recipe, try my Shrimp Scampi Pasta Recipe.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Scallop and Prawn Cream Pasta
My Scallop and Prawn Cream Pasta will be ready to serve in just 30 minutes! And once it’s finished, you’ll have an elegant seafood recipe that’s sure to impress. The decadent sauce and delicious buttery topping make it taste like this recipe is made by a 5-star restaurant chef. It’s hard to believe just how easy the cooking steps are. But, you can honestly make this Shrimp and Scallop Pasta recipe for any of your weeknight meals.
Shrimp and scallops are both easy to cook in a skillet. They only take a few minutes and turn out perfectly flavorful and crispy. Then you can just mix them with the rest of the dish for delicious Scallop Shrimp Pasta. To finish the seafood pasta recipe, it’s topped off with a crispy breadcrumb coating. The toasted bread adds some delicious crispy, buttery texture. Then flavor is added to the crumbs with parmesan cheese and minced cloves garlic.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Linguine: This is the long, narrow oval-shaped pasta. You can easily substitute it with the similar flat-shaped fettuccine or spaghetti.
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter allows better control of the dish’s saltiness. You can use salted butter but might have to reduce the added salt slightly.
- 3 medium Leeks: This onion-like vegetable has a mild onion flavor. If unavailable, you can substitute with a cup of finely chopped shallots or onions.
- 4 cloves Garlic: Garlic is the seasoning that holds this dish together. Fresh minced is most flavorful too!
- 2 tablespoons Flour: This helps to thicken the sauce. You can use cornstarch as a gluten-free alternative.
- 2 cups Clam Juice: Along with the actual seafood, clam juice also adds delicious seafood flavor to the creamy sauce. If unavailable, you can use equal parts seafood stock or a combination of fish sauce and water.
- 1 cup Heavy Cream: This is needed to get the rich velvety creaminess in the sauce. You can substitute with half and half, but the consistency will not be as thick but still hold the incredible flavor.
- 1 cup Whole Milk: This is needed to balance off the richness of the heavy cream.
- 1 cup White Wine: White wine cream sauces are absolutely delicious. Using white wine is slightly less acidic than using vinegar, and it adds more depth of flavor to the heavy cream sauce. You can substitute with equal parts chicken or vegetable broth plus a splash of lemon juice.
- 6 tablespoons Tomato Sauce: This adds a tangy undertone that is required for the best taste. You can use tomato paste diluted with a bit of water as an alternative.
- ¾ teaspoon Saffron Threads: While saffron is expensive per pound, you don’t use very much at all. It’s used for its unique earthy flavor, but also for the vibrancy of yellow it brings to the dish. If saffron is unavailable, ⅓ teaspoon of turmeric can be used to mimic the color, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- 1 ½ pounds Prawns: Large prawns are luxurious and flavorful. You can use the similar jumbo saltwater shrimp if freshwater prawns are not available.
- 1 pound Scallops: These tender mollusks are decadent and wonderful and worth getting if you’re making a dish to impress. If you can’t find scallops, just substitute with 1 pound of prawns.
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt: Used as a flavor enhancer. If using table salt, reduce the amount by a teaspoon as it is more concentrated.
- ½ teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper: The smoky earthiness of pepper is subtle but needed. Freshly ground pepper is best for maximum flavor.
- ½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs: The crispy texture this brings is excellent as a contrasting texture.
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese: The nuttiness of Parmesan cheese is so good. It’s better if freshly shredded.
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Tarragon, minced: The subtle licorice-like flavor adds a delightful and aromatic freshness to the dish. This can be easily found in the herb section of any grocery store.
- 2 tablespoons Parsley, chopped: The herbaceous flavor of parsley adds so much to the dish. Fresh parsley is best, but 2 teaspoons of dried parsley can be used if fresh isn’t available.
How to Cook
Time needed: 40 minutes.
- Cook the Pasta
Before starting to make the sauce, or cooking the seafood, cook the pasta. Put a large pot of water over medium heat and add fresh pasta to the boiling water. Cook for a minute shy of the box instructions, then drain linguine and set it to the side.
- Cook the Leeks
Once you’ve drained the pasta water, add 4 tablespoons of butter to the pot. Then cook the leeks in butter, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
- Make a Roux
Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Then add 2 more tablespoons of butter and the flour. Stir to combine.
- Add the Liquid Ingredients
Pour in the clam juice, heavy cream, milk, white wine, and tomato sauce. Stir the mixture well, and bring it to a simmer.
- Simmer and Thicken
Let the sauce thicken and reduce before you add the cooked pasta. Be careful not to boil so the cream doesn’t scald or separate.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce
Once the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta back into the pot, stirring well to coat in the creamy mixture.
- Season the Seafood
Season the raw shrimp and scallops with the salt and pepper.
- Cook the Shrimp
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet. Add seasoned shrimp to the pan. Cook them on each side for 2 minutes until they are pink and starting to curl.
- Sear the Scallops
Remove the shrimp and to the same pan sear the scallops on both sides for 2 minutes each, or until cooked through.
- Combine
Add the prawns and scallops to the pasta. Toss until well combined and seafood is coated in the creamy sauce.
- Prepare the Topping
Add the last 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet with the panko breadcrumbs and garlic. Toast for 30 seconds, stirring throughout the cook time. Turn off the heat and mix in the parmesan, tarragon, and parsley.
- Garnish and Serve
Divide the creamy scallop pasta into serving bowls. Top each bowl of pasta off with the panko parmesan topping and enjoy.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
This dish is best served fresh because of the seafood and creamy base. You can make it and refrigerate it as leftovers, no problem, but the freshest taste will come from it being cooked and served immediately.
Nutritional Facts
How to Store
- Store: Don’t leave this dish out at room temperature for more than a couple of hours. If you have any leftovers, you can transfer the seafood pasta recipe to an airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Reheating Tips: You can reheat on the stovetop and add a splash of water or milk to help rehydrate it. Microwaving also works too.
- Freeze: Unfortunately, the cream-based sauce won’t freeze and defrost well, so it’s much better to make this dish fresh.
Frequent Questions
Leeks are milder and sweeter in taste, but equal parts regular onions can be used in a pinch.
If clam juice is unavailable, you can use equal parts of seafood or fish stock. You’ll want to go out of your way to find this because of the depth of flavor it brings. You can easily find clam juice at just about any large grocery store.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Saffron Cream Pasta
- 1 pound linguine
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , divided
- 3 medium leeks , whites only, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups clam juice
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup white wine
- 6 tablespoons tomato sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon saffron threads
Seared Scallops and Shrimp
- 1 1/2 pounds prawns , U-8s which means 8 or less prawns per pound
- 1 pound scallops , 10-20 sized
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt , or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Panko Parmesan Tarragon topping
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese , plus more for serving
- 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon , minced
- 2 tablespoons parsley , chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta one minute shy of the ingredients on the box, drain and set aside.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pot you cooked the pasta in with the leeks on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic and stir, cooking for 1 minute.
- Add in 2 more tablespoons of the butter and the flour, stir to combine with buttery vegetables.
- Add in the clam juice, heavy cream, milk, white wine, tomato sauce, and saffron threads, stirring well.
- Bring to a simmer and let thicken, then add the pasta into the sauce and stir well to coat.
- In a large skillet add 2 tablespoons of butter on medium-high heat (reserve the last 2 tablespoons of butter for the topping).
- Season the shrimp and scallops with salt and pepper.
- Sear the shrimp and scallops for 2 minutes on each side (until just cooked through).
- Remove the shrimp and scallops and add them to the pasta and stir.
- Add remaining butter and panko crumbs to the same heavy skillet the shrimp and scallops cooked in.
- Toast the panko crumbs and garlic in the butter for 30 seconds, stirring often.
- Turn off the heat, add the parmesan, tarragon and parsley to the pan and stir to warm.
- To serve add the pasta with seafood to a bowl, top with the panko parmesan topping.
Notes
Nutrition
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Variations
- Pasta: This recipe calls for linguine pasta, but you can use other kinds of pasta. Fettucine, fusilli, penne, or spaghetti noodles would all work well.
- Seasonings: You can experiment with the flavor of your favorite seafood pasta by adding in red pepper flakes, onion powder, paprika, creole seasoning, or Italian seasoning.
- Lemon sauce: Another way to change up the flavor is by making a creamy lemon sauce. Simply mix 2-3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into the prawn sauce.
- Vegetables: If you want some more vegetables in the recipe, try tossing in baby spinach leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes.
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This recipe was delicious and I followed it exactly as written. Will definitely be making it again. It reminds me of newburg sauce.
However, the instructions do not include the saffron, and use 2 tablespoons more butter than the recipe ingredients. I have never used saffron before so I had no idea what to do with it. I added it to the cream sauce because the pictures look like the sauce had saffron in it. And I know it says salt to taste, but i was trusting the recipe as written so I salted when it said to and I used salted butter so I didn’t add more. The sauce needs salt. Its not the same adding it after.
Sorry to make this sound negative because it is really a keeper. I just ate some leftovers microwaved with a splash of milk, and it was as good as the first time. I will definitely keep this in my lineup of recipes. I was going to email you instead about the flaws in the written recipe but couldn’t find the email address.