Many years ago, pasta cooked with seafood was my solution when I wanted something that tasted great without spending much time in the kitchen. Pasta cooks quickly and is delicious; seafood cooks even more quickly and is even more delicious. It’s almost like cheating in the way that you can have a memorable meal in a manner of minutes.
While pasta is rarely on our dinner table these days, we still miss the convenience of a quick Italian-style dinner. So from time to time I’ll whip something up with zucchini noodles or rice-based pasta. When we’re looking for a special treat, we’ll use Cappello’s grain-free fettuccine, which is made using just five ingredients: almond flour, cage-free eggs, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, and sea salt. Although this recipe in particular was made with Cappello’s pasta, directions for all three pasta types are provided below.
Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Seafood Pasta
1 9oz package Cappello’s fettuccine (rice pasta or zucchini noodles okay)
1 tbsp each olive oil and butter (ghee instead of butter okay)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb raw shelled shrimp
2 5oz cans chopped clams, drained (reserve 2 tbsp clam juice)
2 tbsp dry white wine
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper, more to taste
1 lemon, cut in wedges
chopped fresh parsley to garnish
1. Bring a stockpot of water to boil, then dip the Cappello’s fettuccine in the water and boil for 45 seconds. Strain and rinse in cold water until cool to the touch; toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking and set aside. If using rice pasta, follow the directions on the back, then strain, rinse, and toss in olive oil. If using zucchini noodles, you don’t need to do anything but make the noodles using a spiralizer.
2. In a large skillet, warm the butter and olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds, then add the shrimp. Sauté the shrimp until nearly opaque, flipping once, about 3 minutes total depending on the size of the shrimp. Add the clams, reserved clam juice, and white wine; simmer until half of the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes total.
3. Add the pasta and toss everything together gently with tongs. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Heat until warm but before the noodles start to stick, tossing often, 3-4 minutes. Divide into 4 bowls and serve with lemon wedges and chopped parsley.
** For extra flavor, toss a little shredded hard cheese (parmesan, asiago, romano or a combination of all three) with the pasta before plating.
** If you’re up for it, there are all sorts of vegetables you can chop up and add to the pasta. The possibilities are endless, but some options could include tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, squash, or broccoli. Most veggies can be added when you add the clams and will be cooked through by the time the rest of the dish comes together.
