Fettuccine Uzie

Creamy fettuccine meets plump shrimp and tender sea scallops in this luxurious weeknight pasta. The sauce comes together right in the pan: butter, minced shallots, and garlic build the aromatic base, then a cup of heavy cream reduces around the shellfish while the pasta finishes cooking directly in the sauce.

That last step is the real move here. Adding slightly underdone fettuccine straight into the cream lets the pasta starch bind everything into a glossy, clingy sauce. Pull the pasta a full minute early so it finishes al dente in the saucepan without turning mushy. Fresh fettuccine only needs a minute or two in the boiling water before it goes in.

Cut the scallops in half horizontally so they cook at the same rate as the shrimp. Both only need about a minute of simmering before the cream goes in. Overcook them and you get rubber.

Pro Tips

• Butterfly the shrimp but keep the tails on for presentation and flavor.
• Don’t boil the cream sauce. Keep it at a gentle simmer or it can break and turn grainy.
• Fresh pasta cooks much faster (1-2 minutes) than dried (8-12 minutes). Time your sauce accordingly.
• A splash of the starchy pasta water can loosen the sauce if it gets too thick.

Variations

• White wine version: Deglaze the shallots and garlic with ¼ cup dry white wine before adding the shellfish.
• Lighter take: Substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream and add a squeeze of lemon at the end.
• Lobster upgrade: Replace the shrimp with chunks of lobster tail for a special occasion dish.