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If you’re partaking in Feast of the Seven Fishes this holiday season, my Four Seafood Pasta is a must-make! Four types of seafood come together in a delicious white wine and herb sauce that your guests will absolutely love.
Not familiar with the Feast of the Seven Fishes? It is an Italian-American celebration of Christmas Eve with dishes of fish and other seafood. My family has celebrated this for years and I am always trying to think of new recipes for our celebration!
While often you have seven courses of seafood, that can be a bit overwhelming when hosting. To simplify the meal, but not compromise on flavor, of course, I created this Four Seafood Pasta. This way you have four different types of seafood combined into one course! And, let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I love how this turned out! Plus, if you are in need of a menu, I have listed out one below!
Four Seafood Pasta Ingredients:
- Hot Italian Sausage: Feel free to use mild if preferred!
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Peeled and Deveined Shrimp
- Halibut
- Salt and Pepper
- Shallot
- Garlic
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Flat-Filet Anchovies
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Fresh Tarragon
- Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley
- Dry White Wine
- Canned Chopped Sea Clams
- Bucatini Pasta
Four Seafood Pasta Step-by-Step:
Step One: Boil the Water
I cannot tell you how many times I have been ready to assemble a meal and am left waiting for water to boil! Always get this started first.
Step Two: Brown the Sausage
Next, brown the sausage in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once browned, remove the sausage and leave about 1 tablespoon of fat in the skillet. If there is not enough fat in the skillet, add one tablespoon of olive oil.
Step Three: Cook the Shrimp and Halibut
To the same skillet, add the shrimp and the halibut pieces in a single layer. Season with the salt and pepper. Cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked fish to a plate and set aside.
Step 4: Saute the Aromatics and anchovies
Reduce the heat beneath the skillet to medium. Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the shallots are tender, about 2 minutes. Add the anchovies and cook, breaking the anchovies up with the edge of a spoon so that they melt and turn into a paste.
Step 5: Cook the Tomatoes
Next, add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook until they begin to blister and burst open, about 5 minutes. Using a potato masher or the edge of a spoon, press on the tomatoes so they pop open and the juices release from the tomatoes.
Step 6: Finish the Sauce
To the skillet, add the tarragon, parsley, and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook, simmering lightly, so that it reduces and the flavors meld, about 8 minutes.
Step 7: Cook the Pasta
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta to the water along with plenty of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente.
Step 8: Combine the Sauce, Seafood, and Pasta
Transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and add the canned clams and the cooked sausage. Toss until the pasta is well coated in the sauce and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cooked shrimp and halibut to the pasta and gently toss once more so that it well combined. Taste and add more salt, if desired.
Step 9: Garnish and Serve
Garnish with more freshly chopped parsley and tarragon. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs:
This is definitely best served fresh! Be sure to have all of your ingredients chopped and prepped as this will come together quickly for your dinner.
I love the depth of flavor the sausage adds to this pasta!
I love how the bucatini absorbs the sauce but you can use linguine here too. Plus, use gluten-free pasta if you prefer to make this gluten-free.
The seafood stock the clams are in will help finish the sauce.
Whether you enjoy this recipe for Feast of the Seven Fishes or another holiday gathering, I hope you and your loved ones make this recipe for years to come!
Looking to build out a full Feast of the Seven Fishes Menu? This is what I’d recommend!
Appetizer: Smoked Trout Dip
Course 1: Salmon Carpaccio with Fried Capers and Herbs
Course 2: Crab Cake Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Course 3: Four Seafood Pasta
Four Seafood Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ pound bulk hot Italian sausage (sub mild if preferred)
- extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- ½ pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails optional
- ½ pound skinless halibut, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 flat-filet anchovies (from a tin packed in oil)
- 2 pints fresh cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup dry white wine, divided
- One [6.5 ounce] can chopped sea clams, undrained
- 8 ounces bucatini pasta (sub gluten-free bucatini or linguine for gluten-free)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with the edge of a spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked sausage to a plate and set aside.
- If there is excess fat in the skillet, discard all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat. If the skillet seems dry, add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add the shrimp and the halibut pieces to the skillet in a single layer. Season with the salt and pepper and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer cooked fish to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the shallots are tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add the anchovies and cook, breaking up the anchovies with the edge of a spoon so that they melt and turn into a paste.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the white wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook, tossing, so that they begin to blister and burst open, about 5 minutes. Using a potato masher or the edge of a spoon, press on the tomatoes so they pop open and the juices release from the tomatoes.
- Add the tarragon, parsley and pour in the remaining 3/4 cup of white wine. Bring to a simmer and cook, simmering lightly, so that it reduces and the flavors meld, about 4 minutes. If it starts to reduce too much cover and keep on low while the pasta cooks.
- Meanwhile, when your water is boiling add the pasta to the water along with plenty of salt (about a tablespoon). Boil until al dente, according to package directions.
- Transfer the cooked pasta to the sauce and add the canned clams (undrained) and the cooked sausage. Toss until the pasta is well coated in the sauce and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the cooked shrimp and halibut to the pasta and gently toss once more so that it well combined. Taste and add more salt, if desired.
- Serve and garnish with more freshly chopped parsley and tarragon.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this as-is, and it was amazing!
Glad it was a hit!!
Sausage on Christmas eve?
Unthinkable!
If I just serve this as an entree, what would you recommend as sides to go with it? What kind of salad, etc.? Thank you!
My bibb lettuce salad with black truffle vinaigrette and mimolette would be delicious with this! Then I’d pair with a roasted veggie (asparagus or bibb lettuce salad with black truffle vinaigrette and mimolette) and some bread.
Amazing!! My husband wants to start doing the feast of seven fishes and I have no idea where to start and thought, “I wonder if Alex has something…” googled it and bam! So happy for the menu listed! Thank you! Would love more resources like this. Thank you again!
You’re most welcome!! I am glad you are using it!!