This must be one of the best pasta dishes I’ve made. My mouth is watering as I think about this dish. It’s a restaurant quality meal fitting for any special dinner or celebration. My sister loved it so much, it’s now her new birthday meal. Who can blame her? It’s packed with flavor, without being spicy. The flavor combination of the onions, garlic, basil, cheese and piquillo peppers* is amazing.
Note: Spanish Piquillo Peppers are hand-picked in the Ribera del Ebro region of Northern Spain. They are slow roasted over open wood fires and have a unique, rich complex flavor.
You could use this sauce as the base for so many other variations – jumbo shrimp, chicken, vegetarian with artichokes, mushrooms and asparagus over orzo! Oh my goodness! Here’s how this comes together.
Start by cooking your pasta in a big stock pot of water with a generous pinch of Kosher salt and olive oil. Stir and cook according to the instructions.
Note: Caserecce pasta perfectly locks the sauce in. I love this pasta! Source: HomeGoods.
Season the langostinos with Old Bay, half the Spanish smoked paprika and a little lemon juice. Toss to coat and set aside. Heat a wide skillet over medium high heat, add butter and melt. Sear the langostinos for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside. You many need to do this in batches depending on your skillet size.
Note: I added the crab meat at the end to the sauce as not to break up the tender lump meat.
In the same wide skillet, add some olive oil and sauté the onions, piquillo peppers, garlic, Italian Seasonings, remaining smoked paprika and red pepper flakes until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.
Note: I placed the Italian Seasonings in my palm and rubbed my palms together over the skillet to break up the dry seasonings and release some fragrance.
Add the wine and chicken stock and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the heavy whipping cream and Basil Stir-In-Paste. Cook and stir until the cream begins to bubble and thicken. Add Parmesan cheese and stir continuously until it has melted into the sauce. Add the fresh basil and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust your seasonings, if needed. Note: I didn’t add any extra salt. The salt from the cheese was just right.
Stirring continuously, add the langostinos back into the skillet and add the crab meat. Reheat through for a few minutes.
Drain the pasta and return the pasta back to the pot. With the heat off, add the seafood and creamy sauce to the pot and stir to coat the pasta. Plate it onto your serving dish and garnish with extra basil, parsley and Parmesan cheese. Add red pepper flakes if you like a little heat!
Serve with a salad, warm bread and a great bottle of white wine for an unforgettable meal!
Adapted from Fox and Briar.
Creamy Parmesan Basil & Piquillo Seafood Pasta
One of the best sauces you'll taste! Restaurant quality you can make at home. The sauce is so flavorful, creamy and rich. It perfectly coats the seafood and pasta. A truly special dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Caserecce pasta
- water, to boil the pasta
- 3 finger pinch Kosher salt for pasta water
- Olive oil, divided for pasta water & saute vegetables
- 2 lbs. Langostinos
- 8 ounces lump crab meat
- 1 Tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika, divided for seafood and sauce
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3 Tablespoons butter, unsalted & room temperature
- 1 onion, minced
- 1 7.6 ounce jar of Spanish piquillo peppers, thinly sliced
- 5-6 cloves garlic, grated or finely minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt to taste (remember cheese is salty, start with 1/2 teaspoon and re-taste)
- fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup chicken stock, unsalted
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons Basil Stir-In-Paste
- 1½ cups Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
- 1 container Basil leaves, chiffonade cut (thin ribbons)
- 1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
Instructions
-
PASTA
Fill a stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a little olive oil, a generous three pinch of Kosher salt and the pasta. Stir and cook according to package instructions.
-
SEAFOOD
Season the langostinos with Old Bay seasoning, ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika and lemon juice. Toss to coat. Heat a wide skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Once melted, sear the seafood for 2 minutes on each side (may need to do this in batches depending on the side of your skillet). Remove from the pan and set aside until sauce is done.
-
CREAMY PARMESAN SAUCE
In the same skillet, add some olive oil (a few times around the skillet) and sauté the onions, piquillo peppers, garlic, Italian Seasonings, remaining ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika and red pepper flakes until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Add the wine and chicken stock and simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the cream and basil Stir-In-Paste. Cook and stir until the cream begins to thicken. Add Parmesan cheese and stir continuously until it has melted into the sauce. Add the fresh basil and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.
Stirring continuously, add the langostinos back into the skillet and add the crab meat. Reheat through for a few minutes.
-
ASSEMBLY
Drain the pasta and return the pasta back to the pot. With the heat off, add the seafood and creamy sauce in with the pasta. Stir to coat the pasta.
Plate onto your serving dish and garnish with extra basil, parsley and Parmesan cheese.
