seafood pasta fra diavlo

sadly i am not a lover of shellfish but i do love finfish. so when my good friend stephanie came over last night to join us for two days of festivities, i had to induldge her and eric who are both shellfish nuts. this recipe is a blend of several of my favorites. putting the anchovies in the base is actually something i learned from a fish soup recipe, it just really gives depth to the base. i traded out lobster in this recipe for sea bass so i would have some part of it to enjoy but really you could do any combination of seafood you like. this recipe, like a lot of mine, is deceptively easy but so impressive. homemade tomato sauce is sooo easy but really tastes so much better than anything bottled.

Seafood Fra Diavlo Pasta

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves minced

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

6 whole canned anchovys

1 ¼ cup white wine or dry vermouth

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

¼ cup water

2 pounds littleneck clams

1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded

1 10-ounce uncooked lobster tail, shelled, meat cut into 1-inch pieces

8 ounces uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined

4 ounces bay scallops

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 pound linguine

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and anchovy; stir until anchovy dissolves. Add wine; simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and tomato paste. Bring to simmer, breaking up tomatoes. Cover; simmer over low heat 40 minutes.

Bring 1/4 cup water to boil in another large skillet over high heat. Add clams and mussels. Cover; cook until shells open, about 6 minutes (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Transfer shellfish to colander set over medium bowl; drain.

Strain juices from skillet and medium bowl through fine sieve into tomato sauce. Simmer sauce uncovered until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add lobster, shrimp and scallops. Simmer 2 minutes. Add clams and mussels from colander. Simmer 1 minute longer. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons oil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return to pot. Add shellfish sauce; toss to coat.

Strain juices from skillet and medium bowl through fine sieve into tomato sauce. Simmer sauce uncovered until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add lobster, shrimp and scallops. Simmer 2 minutes. Add clams and mussels from colander. Simmer 1 minute longer. Stir in remaining 3 tablespoons oil and basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Return to pot. Add shellfish sauce; toss to coat.