Rigatoni ai Frutti di Mare

Ahhh, Rigatoni ai Frutti di Mare 🌊🍝—bold, briny, elegant, and very Italian. This is the real-deal coastal-style version: light tomato sauce, pristine seafood flavor, no cream, no cheese (nonna would gasp).

🍝 Rigatoni ai Frutti di Mare

Ingredients

• 1 lb rigatoni

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

• ½ cup dry white wine

• 1 cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes (or passata)

• 1 lb mixed seafood:

  • Mussels (cleaned)

  • Clams (cleaned)

  • Shrimp (peeled & deveined)

  • Calamari rings

• Salt (lightly—seafood is salty)

• Fresh black pepper

• Fresh parsley, finely chopped

• Optional: lemon zest or a squeeze of lemon

🔥 Instructions

1. Bring pasta water to a boil
   Salt generously (like the sea). Cook rigatoni until just al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water.

2. Start the sauce
   Heat olive oil in a wide pan. Add garlic and red pepper flakes.
   Cook gently until fragrant—do not brown.

3. Deglaze
   Pour in white wine. Let it reduce by half.

4. Add tomatoes
   Stir in crushed tomatoes. Simmer 5–7 minutes—this is a light sauce, not heavy.

5. Cook seafood in stages

   • Add clams and mussels, cover, cook until they open (3–5 min)

   • Add calamari, cook 1–2 min

   • Add shrimp last, cook just until pink
     Discard any unopened shells.

6. Combine
   Add rigatoni to the pan with a splash of pasta water. Toss gently to coat.

7. Finish
   Season with pepper, sprinkle parsley, optional lemon zest.

🍽️ Serve Like an Italian

• No cheese ❌

• Extra olive oil drizzle ✔️

• Crusty bread for sauce ✔️✔️

🇮🇹 Pro Tips

• Overcooked seafood = tragedy. Keep it quick.

• Rigatoni works beautifully because it holds the sauce, but linguine is traditional too.

• If using frozen seafood, thaw fully and pat dry.

If you want:

• Red-only (no tomato) coastal version

• Luxury version with lobster or scallops

• Or a weeknight shortcut