Shell’s Seafood Pasta
Where my parents live is not a lot like Kuwait, but is alike in one wonderful way – Seafood! I grew up on the water. Shrimp and crab, oysters, clams – all were cheap and plentiful.
I would like to tell you that this is my original recipe, but it isn’t. It is served at a chain of restaurants in Florida called Shells. If you get a chance to go there, go! Everything is delicious, and the prices are reasonable. This is not your white tablecloth kind of restaurant; it is a down-home kind of place, full of families and children, and truly delicious food.
SHELLS SEAFOOD PASTA
Ingredients:
1 lb. Linguini, cooked and drained
1 oz. Butter
4 oz. Mussel meat
6 oz. Chopped clams
10 oz. Scallops, raw
12 oz. Peeled shrimp, raw
4 oz. Olive oil
4 oz. White wine
8 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 dashes Soy Sauce
16 oz. Heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Cook linguini in salted water with butter until al dente; drain and set aside
2. Combine olive oil, white wine, garlic, soy sauce, and cream in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
3. Add cooked linguini and drained seafood mix. Sautee, stirring gently, for about 10 minutes, until seafood is done and sauce has creamy consistency. Serve in warm serving dishes with shredded parmigiana reggiano. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
(You don’t have to use scallops – use chunks of grouper (hammour) or whatever white fish is plentiful. Substitute a fish stock for the white wine.)
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Amazina
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Thanks for this recipe!! I have been trying to find this recipe to make at a 40th b-day dinner for my sister. I used to live in Tampa Fla and ate at the Shells there many times and loved this seafood pasta. I looked at many of the recipe websites for seafood pasta and could not find this so thanks again.!
Music to my ears, Lisa. I love this recipe, too, although making it here in Kuwait, I miss the taste of that 4 oz. of white wine. (she whines!)
you are my hero! I just moved away from Tampa and been having a serious craving for this stuff! I’m going to the store in themorning to get everything. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!
Oh Ryan, you just made my day. I love this pasta!
Thank you very much I have never tried this particular recipe but, I do love their baby lobster pasta. Can I use the same recipe and just use lobster. Thank for any help.
You are welcome, Teresa – this is still one of my all time favorites.
Can’t wait to try this! I was heartbroken when I found out Shell’s closed and now that I’m pregnant (and despite the fact expecting women shouldn’t eat shellfish) and now living in Oregon, I’m CRAVING this pasta dish. maybe I can trick… I mean, convince the Hubby to pick to the ingredients today 🙂
Hi, my name is Scott. Shell’s has to be the best seafood pasta I have ever had. It sucks to see that some of the locations have gone out of business.
Sincerely, from Publix in Largo.. Scott Rothenberg.
Scott, we used to live in Safety Harbor. Publix has some of the best seafood you can find in a grocery store. 🙂 I have heard that Shell’s has ceased operation – is that true? Or is it only some locations?
Only some locations. There is still one open in Tampa on Dale Mabry. There is also one in Holmes Beach. I know for sure the Clearwater Beach and Tyrone area locations have closed.
Hilo Scottie, mate! We over heres like you!! Time to make a pizza! om nom nom!
I was so happy to find this recipe. I have made it several times and the last time I added Better Than Bouillon Lobster Base to the sauce….it was the missing link! Everyone raves over it.
Awesome recipe..It comes out just the one Shells did make. Sure miss them here in sunny Fla…I ate at so many of them that can name just a few of the places I enjoyed ttem so much.
SW Miami, Tampa, Kissimmee, Winter Park, Indian Shores, Maitland, Aventura just to name those I can remember today.
To make it even easier I buy a $3.99 bag (At Publix) of frozen seafood and really all I buy extra is a can of chopped clams and some frozen shrimp and bingo..In no time nostalgia and great food at the table.
Thanks
It is easy and delicious, isn’t it? Still one of my favorite recipes . . .
Thank You, Thank You!! I’m so happy you posted this. I miss Shell’s too. Now I can get my fix again!
I am so thankful they would share this! It is my all time favorite seafood pasta; it’s still hard for me to believe there are no longer Shell’s I can pop into when I need my fix 🙂
Holmes beach is also closed. I believe tampa location ic the only one left
Ahhh, Siren, that is too bad. I really loved their food. Thanks for letting us know.
A new Shell’s opened a few months ago not too far from the old location on 34th between Fowler and Busch. The original one on 34th turned into another seafood place, I believe. But when I drove past it the other day, it appear vacant. WTH?
Thanks for the info, imtpa, and when I get to the St. Pete/Tampa area I will look for it. My heart breaks for the brave people who open new restaurants these days. There is SO much competition, and people don’t spend as freely as they once did. Today, however, a pay day, by lunch time, the streets were crazy with traffic and the restaurants were full. Let’s hope this is a sign of good times rolling in 🙂
Does anyone happen to know the recipe for the Shell’s Baby Lobster Pasta? I see quite a few sites and posts for the seafood pasta and shrimp pasta, but I haven’t been able to find a recipe for the baby lobster pasta.
I am still trying to find that recipe too. Soooo Delish!!
This is the same recipe, you just want to use langostino — a.k.a. baby lobster tails — instead of the seafoods listed here. I made it with some frozen langostino from the grocery store and it tasted just as I remembered it.
Thanks, Chris. I sure do miss Shell’s, and I am so glad I got this recipe while they still existed.
I worked at shells when there was a restaurant in Miami, I made all the prep n the mornings, the baby lobster pasta sauce also contains lobster base, just bring water to a boil and then add the lobster base, this is then added to the sauce. The sauce used for seafood, shrimp and chicken pasta have beef base..
No soy sauce….
LOL. OK.
Tony, thank you for sharing your secrets with us! I still miss Shell’s; I thought they were the equivalent of a Michelin Red R, i.e. good local cuisine at reasonable prices.
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have been using it for years (although I use chicken instead of seafood). My best friend is the knucklehead who commented as Adolf and Scott used to live below us.
I grew up eating a Shell’s and love this pasta. I remember as a kid that Shell’s was a very casual restaurant. They had a saying that was something along the lines of don’t dress up for us because we aren’t dressing up for you. I remember the free peanuts they had in huge barrels and all the peanut shells all over the ground. Then I moved away from Florida and when I went back to visit as an adult, they were a more fancy place. It must not have worked because most of them went out of business.
As far as Shell’s locations that are open. There is what I believe is the original one in Melbourne, FL. I am positive that it is still open because I recently ate there.
I believe there are 4 around Tampa. One on Fowler up by USF and one in Brandon. I haven’t been to these two recently so I can’t confirm that they’re still open. The other two I have been to recently and I can confirm that they are atill open or were in January at least. St. Pete beach and on Dale Mabry.
After Shells went under many yrs ago I found this recipe and its been glorious…Thanks for the sharing. It has made me famous in my family
Shells disolved it’s chain of restaurants after many years in business, it is my understanding that the owner of the original Shells in Tampa, before becoming a Restaurant Franchise, agreed to go that route, but he kept the original Restaurant and the agreement that if the chain ever dissolved he could reopen and kee the famous Shells Logo.
This is their website and presently have 5 Locatins, all in the Tampa Bay Area.
https://www.shellsseafood.com/
Carlos, thank you for your comments. I adored Shells when we lived in Safety Harbor/Tampa/St Pete area, and it was my go-to comfort food. I am so happy to know that there are still some Shells restaurants in existence. Their food was so consistently high quality, and their Shells Seafood Pasta was, in my opinion, one of the most delicious.