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Saffron Butter Pasta with Shellfish

Simple but so full of flavour! Saffron butter brings all the flavour to a simple pasta dish. Garlic and cherry tomatoes are all that are needed for a quick dinner. Add shellfish to the dish, and suddenly it is company worthy! And it takes 10 minutes from beginning to end!
Course Main Course
Cuisine North American
Keyword garlic, pasta, saffron butter, shellfish, shrimp
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 8 oz pasta of choice spaghetti, linguini, fusilli, etc (2 oz or 50 grams per person)
  • olive oil
  • 3-4 medium cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1 lb shellfish of choice shrimp, snow crab claws, scallops, thawed or fresh
  • 1/4 cup softened saffron butter see below
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Saffron Butter, made in advance

  • 8 oz softened room temperature butter or 227 grams or 1 cup
  • 1 tsp saffron threads

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to pkg directions, to al dente
  2. About half way to the pasta being finished, add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large skillet or sauce pan and warm over medium heat. Add the garlic and sweat it to bring out the aroma, about 1 minute. Reduce heat if necessary to keep the garlic from scorching.
  3. Add the tomatoes and cook till the skins blister and the juices start running. Add the shellfish and put a lid on the pan if the fish is raw. Simmer till cooked through, about 4-5 minutes till pink, turning half way through to cook both sides.
  4. At this point the pasta should be ready. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water, and drain the pasta. Add it to the pan with the garlic, tomatoes and shellfish. Add the butter and toss everything till well coated. If you find that the pasta seems a little dry, add some of the pasta water till the pasta is loose and shiny. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
  5. Serve with plenty of chopped parsley.

Saffron Butter

  1. Bring the butter to room temperature and softened overnight.
  2. Take 1/4 cup of the butter and add it to a small saucepan. Add the saffron threads. Heat over medium low till the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and allow the saffron to infuse the butter for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Transfer the remaining softened butter and saffron butter to a bowl and stir well with a spoon till completely blended and smooth. Store in the fridge till needed. Remove beforehand when you want to add it to a recipe so that it can warm up a bit.

  4. See Blog post for more suggestions.