I went out to lunch at a local restaurant and the special of the day was this amazing dish called Basil Seafood Pasta. I’m a huge fan of basil. The basil pesto with its captivating flavor had me thinking about this dish for weeks. You’ve got to know right off the bat that I’m a big seafood fan. Well, this dish ranked up there as one of my all-time favorites. Besides, I don’t know too many people who don’t like pasta. As a result, this could become a family favorite. If you like basil you will love this recipe.
A Lasting Impression
The dish contained two types of clams, shrimp, and scallops with loads of creamy fettuccine Alfredo. I couldn’t get this dish out of my mind, Basil Seafood Pasta. Can I say I went back a week later for dinner thinking I could order the dish again; well, as you might imagine it was a one-time special? It wasn’t available on the dinner menu. Needless to say, I was highly disappointed. They did have the Basil Seafood Pasta so I had to settle for the regular fettuccine Alfredo. What a bummer!
The Oprah Effect
I had no other choice but to recreate the basil seafood pasta. I’ve made fettuccine Alfredo on numerous occasions. The added difference was including the basil pesto. Can I say this dish has the Oprah effect? I have Oprah to thank for the use of asparagus in the dish.
Oprah appeared on a segment of The Dr. Oz show making a light version of fettuccine Alfredo with asparagus mint pesto. I borrowed the asparagus from Oprah to use in my dish. I threw in orange and yellow peppers for added color and texture. Peppers bring its own special flavor to the dish.
I used the mandolin to thinly slice the asparagus into ribbons as Oprah suggested. If you are using this device make sure to use the guard. You could seriously injure yourself if you are not careful. The blade is quite sharp.
If you don’t have a mandolin just cut the asparagus into bite-size pieces and be done with it.
Steps To Making The Pasta Dish
1. Use the mandolin to thinly ribbon cut the asparagus.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in boiling water for 7 minutes or until al dente (the pasta will continue to cook when added to the other mixture later). Drain the pasta and set it aside for later use.
3. Saute the peppers, onions, and garlic for four minutes in a large skillet in hot oil. Added the asparagus to the pan stirring constantly for another four minutes.
4. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and place in a dish and set aside.
Don’t forget to save this recipe for the Basil Seafood Pasta to your favorite Pinterest board for later use.
5. Basil Pesto: 1 cup basil, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated), 1 clove peeled garlic, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 pepper. Placed the ingredients into a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Set the mixture aside it will be added to the pasta later in the cooking process.
6. Using the same skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and olive to the hot skillet. Next, add two ounces of softened cream cheese to the skillet. Blend the mixture until smooth. Then, add 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese to the skillet. Remembering, to stir constantly to prevent the development of lumps. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Continue to stir constantly on medium heat until the sauce thickens.
7. Once the sauce has thickened add the basil pesto and stir until fully incorporated into the sauce.
8. Afterward, add the scallops and shrimp to the mixture cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, add the pasta and vegetables that you set aside for the scallop, shrimp and basil sauce mixture. Mix thoroughly and serve hot. Remembering, to grate cheese on top of the dish before serving. Clearly, the Creamy Mushroom Zoodles is another dish you must try, it’s a healthier take on pasta. For example, the noodles are made with zucchini and they are delicious and nutritious. In spite of, the cheese the Creamy Mushroom Zoodles are lower in calories.
The Marriage of the Seafood, Sauce, and Pasta with Grated Cheese
Basil Seafood Pasta
- 1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound fresh scallops
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon olive
- 1 pound Campanelle pasta or pasta of your choice
- 8 ounces basil
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (1/3 cup grated cheese for garnish)
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon white pepper (black pepper)
- PASTA: Cook Campanella pasta 7 to 8 minutes
- VEGETABLES:
- Cut off the tops of the asparagus. Thinly slice long ribbon strips from the asparagus.
- Saute the peppers, onions, and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for four minutes in a medium hot skillet. Add the asparagus and tops to the skillet stirring constantly for another four minutes. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and place them in a dish.
- BASIL PESTO:
- Place the basil, ½ c. parmesan cheese, 1 minced garlic clove, 3 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper into a blender or food processor. Slowly add ½ cup olive oil in the blender or food processor is pulsing. Blend until smooth.
- Sauce
- Using the same skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil. Blend 2 ounces of the soft cream cheese to the oil. Mix one cup of milk ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Stir mixture constantly. Add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, ¼ tablespoon salt and white pepper (black pepper). Stirring constantly on medium.
- Add basil pesto. Cook for 3 minutes
- Add pasta and vegetables. Mix and serve while hot.
Make sure you go to Pinterest and check out the other recipes