The 7 Best Sauces for Seafood Pasta

Seafood pasta is a delicious dish that can be enjoyed year-round.

Whether you’re looking for a light summer meal or a comforting winter dinner, seafood pasta is always a great option.

But what really brings this dish to life are the sauces!

The right sauce can take your seafood pasta from good to amazing.

From creamy Alfredo and classic marinara to zesty pesto and spicy arrabbiata, here are seven of the best sauces for seafood pasta – all guaranteed to make your next dinner party unforgettable!

Why Use A Sauce with Seafood Pasta?

Seafood pasta dishes are often enhanced with a sauce to bring out the flavor of the seafood.

A sauce can also help to bind all of the ingredients together, creating a more cohesive dish.

Sauces for seafood pasta dishes typically include cream-based sauces such as Alfredo or carbonara, tomato-based sauces like marinara or arrabbiata, and oil-based sauces such as pesto or vinaigrette.

Creamy sauces pair well with milder fish like cod and haddock, while bolder flavors work better with stronger-tasting fish like salmon and tuna.

Tomato-based sauces are great for adding acidity to balance out richer flavors in the dish, while oil-based sauces add richness without overpowering other flavors.

No matter which type of sauce you choose, it will help to bring out the best in your seafood pasta dish!

The 7 Best Sauces for Seafood Pasta

Seafood pasta is a delicious dish, but it can be difficult to find the perfect sauce.

Here are seven sauces that will pair perfectly with seafood pastas, bringing out the best in your seafood creations:

1. Garlic Cream Sauce

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Garlic cream sauce is a creamy, flavorful sauce made with garlic, butter, cream, and seasonings.

It’s a versatile sauce that can be used to enhance the flavor of many dishes.

• To Make It: To make garlic cream sauce, start by melting butter in a pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Then add heavy cream and bring to a simmer while stirring constantly. Once it starts to thicken, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.
• Substitutions: If you don’t have heavy cream on hand, you can substitute half-and-half or whole milk instead. You can also use olive oil instead of butter if desired.
• Common Uses: Garlic cream sauce is commonly served over pasta dishes such as seafood pasta or chicken Alfredo but it can also be used as a dip for vegetables or breads like focaccia or ciabatta rolls.

2. Lemon Butter Sauce

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Lemon butter sauce is a creamy, rich sauce made with butter, lemon juice, and white wine.

It’s often used to enhance the flavor of seafood dishes such as fish or shrimp.

• To Make It: To make lemon butter sauce, melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Pour in white wine and reduce by half. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and stir in fresh parsley before serving.
• Substitutions: If you don’t have white wine on hand, you can substitute it with chicken broth or vegetable broth instead. You can also use other citrus juices such as lime or orange juice instead of lemon juice if desired.
• Common Uses: Lemon butter sauce is commonly served over cooked seafood dishes such as salmon, cod, shrimp, scallops, etc., but it can also be used to add flavor to pasta dishes or vegetables like broccoli or asparagus.

3. Tomato Cream Sauce

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Tomato cream sauce is a creamy, tomato-based sauce made with tomatoes, cream, butter, and seasonings.

It is often used as a topping for pasta dishes or as a dip for breads.

• To Make It: To make tomato cream sauce, start by sautéing garlic in butter until fragrant. Then add diced tomatoes and cook until softened. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer before adding salt and pepper to taste. Finally, stir in fresh herbs such as basil or oregano for extra flavor.
• Substitutions: If you don’t have heavy cream on hand, you can substitute it with half-and-half or whole milk instead. You can also use canned crushed tomatoes instead of fresh diced tomatoes if desired.
• Common Uses: Tomato cream sauce is commonly served over seafood pasta dishes such as shrimp scampi or linguine with clams. It’s also delicious when served over grilled chicken breasts or fish fillets for an easy weeknight dinner option.

4. White Wine Sauce

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White wine sauce is a creamy, flavorful sauce made with white wine, butter, and cream.

It’s often used to enhance the flavor of seafood dishes such as pasta or fish.

• To Make It: To make white wine sauce, start by melting butter in a pan over medium heat. Once melted, add minced garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant. Then add white wine and reduce for about 5 minutes until it has reduced by half. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer before reducing the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste before serving over your favorite seafood dish!
• Substitutions: If you don’t have any white wine on hand, you can substitute dry vermouth or chicken broth instead. You can also use vegetable stock if you’re looking for a vegetarian option.
• Common Uses: White wine sauce is commonly served with seafood dishes such as shrimp scampi or linguine with clams but it can also be used as an accompaniment to grilled meats like steak or pork chops.

5. Mushroom Cream Sauce

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Mushroom cream sauce is a creamy, savory sauce made with mushrooms, butter, cream, and seasonings.

It’s a rich and flavorful accompaniment to many dishes such as pasta, seafood, chicken, steak, and vegetables.

• To Make It: To make mushroom cream sauce you will need butter or oil for sautéing the mushrooms; heavy cream; garlic; onion; thyme; parsley; salt and pepper to taste. Start by melting the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown. Then add the garlic and onion and cook until fragrant. Pour in the heavy cream and bring it to a simmer before adding the herbs (thyme & parsley). Simmer for about 5 minutes or until thickened then season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Substitutions: If you don’t have any fresh herbs on hand you can substitute dried herbs instead – just use half of what is called for in the recipe if using dried herbs instead of fresh ones. You can also substitute vegetable broth or white wine for some of the heavy cream if desired.
• Common Uses: Mushroom cream sauce is commonly used as an accompaniment to pasta dishes such as fettuccine alfredo or seafood pasta dishes like shrimp scampi or lobster mac and cheese. It also tastes delicious over grilled steak, chicken, or vegetables.

6. Fra Diavolo Sauce

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Fra Diavolo sauce is an Italian-American spicy tomato sauce made with white wine, fire roasted tomatoes, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and garlic.

It is usually served over pasta dishes featuring seafood such as shrimp or scallops.

• To Make It: To make the sauce, start by heating some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add the fire roasted tomatoes and red pepper flakes to the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes. Finally, stir in some white wine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes before serving over your favorite seafood pasta dish.
• Substitutions: If you don’t have access to fire roasted tomatoes or white wine, you can substitute canned diced tomatoes or dry vermouth instead. You can also adjust the amount of red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you want your sauce to be.
• Common Uses: Fra Diavolo sauce is most commonly used as a topping for seafood pastas such as linguine with clams or shrimp scampi but it can also be used as a dipping sauce for breadsticks or crostini appetizers.

7. Pesto Sauce

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Pesto is a traditional Italian sauce made from fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and salt.

It is usually served with pasta but can also be used as a spread or dip for breads and vegetables.

• To Make It: To make pesto sauce at home, you will need to gather the ingredients listed above. Start by crushing the garlic in a mortar and pestle until it forms a paste. Then add the basil leaves and continue to grind them together until they form a paste as well. Add the pine nuts and grind them into the mixture until everything is combined. Finally, add in the Parmesan cheese and olive oil while continuing to mix everything together until it forms a thick paste-like consistency.
• Substitutions: If you don’t have all of the ingredients on hand or want to try something different, there are some substitutions that can be made when making pesto sauce. For example, walnuts can be substituted for pine nuts if desired; other types of hard cheeses such as pecorino romano or grana padano can be used instead of Parmesan; and parsley or arugula can be used instead of basil if desired.
• Common Uses: Pesto sauce is most commonly served with pasta dishes such as spaghetti or linguine. It can also be used as a spread for sandwiches, or as a dipping sauce for raw vegetables or breads. It can also be used to top grilled meats or fish, or stirred into soups and stews for added flavor.

Conclusion

In conclusion, seafood pasta is a delicious and versatile dish that can be made with a variety of sauces.

The best sauces for seafood pasta are garlic cream sauce, lemon butter sauce, tomato cream sauce, white wine sauce, mushroom cream sauce, seafood fra diavolo sauce, and pesto sauce.

Each of these sauces adds its own unique flavor to seafood pasta, so you can experiment with different combinations to create a dish that is sure to please.

Whether you’re looking for something light and fresh or something more robust and spicy, there is sure to be a sauce that will complement your seafood pasta perfectly.