1shallot or 1/4 white onion, about 1/3- 1/2 cup, diced finely
2tablespoonstomato paste
1 14.5ouncecan diced tomatoes
1/4cupdry white wine
Pinchred pepper flakes, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
Other Ingredients:
1-2tablespoonsbutter or olive oil
1poundvarious seafood, scallops, shrimp, clams** see note at top if cooking clams and my tips on using frozen seafood
Linguine pasta, cooked according to directions
Instructions
Begin the sauce: Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet. Sauté onion over low to medium heat until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. Add in garlic and sauté another minute.**During this time, get a pot of boiling water set up for the pasta. I begin to cook the pasta once I begin cooking the seafood to time it out well, but having the water ready is key.
Add in tomatoes and cook: Add in tomato paste and saute an additional minute, until slightly darker in color. Add in tomatoes and white wine. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5-10 minutes, until tomatoes have thickened just a bit.
Cook the pasta: Begin to cook pasta (according to package directions) right before you cook the seafood. Generally it takes around the same time, but it’s better to have the pasta sitting and waiting for a few minutes than the other way around. When cooking, reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Add this pasta water to the sauce at the end if you need to thin it out a bit.
Prepare the pan for the seafood: Push the tomatoes to one side and clear some space to sear the seafood. Turn up the heat slightly and position the pan so the burner will be mainly over the seafood, not the sauce. Rinse seafood and pat dry to remove any excess water before cooking.
Cook the seafood: Add the remaining butter or oil to the empty part of the pan- it should melt and sizzle immediately. Add in seafood and let sit for 2-3 minutes, until brown on one side. Then flip to sear the other side. Lightly mix in with sauce once the seafood is 90% of the way cooked through.If pasta is ready, keep the pan on low heat. If not, take the pan off the heat (and if pasta REALLY isn’t ready, remove the seafood from the sauce and set aside).
Assemble: Toss pasta in tomato sauce and seafood. Serve immediately. This one is best served fresh because of the seafood, although the pasta works for leftovers.