Fruits of the Sea, better known as Frutti di Mare (doesn’t everything just sound better in Italian?), is a classic, multi-seafood pasta dish made with the freshest ingredients available. Geographically, the East End of Long Island shares a few things in common with Italy, one being that bodies of water surround it. With that in mind, finding good quality seafood will not prove difficult. As the weather gets warmer, so does the desire to dine al fresco (another sexier sounding Italian term); seafood cuisine, particularly this recipe, is the best choice for an outdoor gathering, paired with crisp white wine and good company.
“I wanted to showcase the local seafood here in the Hamptons in a very simplistic but elegant way,” says Zackary Graham, who recently took over the helm of executive chef at Sag Harbor’s Baron’s Cove hotel and restaurant. “This is a classic seafood pasta prepared with clams, mussels, and shrimp, served over linguine in a white wine, tomato, and parsley broth,” he continues, “very similar to a cioppino, but with a Long Island spin on it.”
Graham, who sources almost all his seafood for Baron’s Cove from Gosman’s in Montauk, implores, when selecting ingredients for this dish, to let your nose be your guide. “You want your seafood to look bright and fresh and not have an overly- fishy smell,” says the Rochester-born chef. Graham’s “it’s all about quality” ethos also suggests using Bangs Island mussels, hand-raised in the cool, clean waters of Casco Bay, Maine, and sourced from Gosman’s. “I’ve been tremendously satisfied with the quality of their seafood,” Graham says of Montauk’s iconic fish market.
With an impressive resume of tenures (most recently as chef de cuisine at Blair Hill Inn, a Relais & Châteaux property in Maine), Graham seems the perfect fit at the locale, situated on Sag Harbor Cove just west of the village’s Main Street. “I fell in love with the area while working at The Meadow Club in Southampton in 2022,” the young chef recounts. “The seafood out here is unbelievable.”
We couldn’t agree more. Add this classic Italian coastal dish to your repertoire for a memorable spring evening with friends. Better yet, get inspired by trying chef Graham’s version while watching the impressive harbor sunset from the resto’s waterfront balcony. “Frutti di mare is a refreshing dish this time of year and something that hasn’t previously been on the menu at Baron’s,” says Graham.” I love how the bit of acidity helps balance out the richness from the mussels and clams.”
Grazie, chef!
Frutti di Mare Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 Long island littleneck clams
- 24 Bangs Island mussels
- 16 shrimp (size U-20)
- 1 3/4 cup San Marzano tomatoes
- 2 large Spanish onions
- 1 bulb of fennel
- 1 tbsp crushed Calabrian chiles
- 2 quarts fish broth of chicken broth
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 pint dry white wine
- grated parmesan, to taste
- butter, to taste
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 24 oz of linguini
Directions
- Finely dice your onions and fennel.
- Clean all shellfish throroughly.
- Lightly sauté the onions, fennel, garlic and chiles. Be careful to not get color on the vegetables.
- Add white wine and reduce by 50 percent.
- Once wine has reduced, add tomatoes and cook until they start to break apart.
- Add broth and allow bring to simmer very lightly, incorporating all the flavors together, about 45 minutes.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper to desired level.
- Cook the linguini.
- Transfer broth to a large, shallow pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the clams and cover, steaming for about 10 minutes until they're almost fully opened. Add the mussels and shrimp next. Bring to high simmer and cook for about 6 more minutes.
- Add linguini to the pot and mix thoroughly with the broth and seafood. Add butter and grated parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce to your desired consistency. Check and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Buon appetito!
