Creamy Garlic Butter Fettuccine with Shrimp and Scallops

Nearly two years ago, I introduced our family to a low-carb eating lifestyle.  I really cut back on our consumption of potatoes, bread and pasta, mostly. Homemade pasta dishes at our house have been few and far between since then. I haven't made a creamy pasta dish since I can't even remember when, so I thought I'd  treat ourselves for dinner tonight.  What did I make?  A seafood pasta in a creamy garlic butter sauce.  It turned out so delicious, I wanted to share my recipe with you.  My recipe serves 4-6.  You can, of course, divide the recipe in half, to serve 2-3 people.

Creamy Garlic Butter Fettuccine with Shrimp and Scallops

Ingredients:

4 tbsp or 1/4 cup butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups heavy cream (35% fat content)

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

pinch freshly ground black pepper

2 cups thawed, peeled raw shrimp

2 cups thawed scallops

1 cup frozen peas 

2 tsp freshly chopped thyme (optional)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs (optional) 

1 1/2 pounds fettuccine pasta

salt

Directions:

First heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once the butter melts, 

add the garlic and stir until soft, but not brown.

Add heavy cream and raise heat to medium high until mixture begins to boil (five minutes). Stir occasionally.
Add salt and pepper. Lower the heat to low and simmer slowly for ten minutes to thicken the cream; stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, while you are waiting for the cream to thicken, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I used a dutch oven) and cook the fettuccine until al dente. Once cooked, drain the water and set aside.

Next, add the shrimp, scallops, peas and thyme to your thickened cream mixture.  You will need to raise the heat to high again to bring the mixture back to a boil.  Once the shrimp turn pink, turn off the heat.  A couple minutes should do the trick. Make sure not to overcook the seafood, or it will turn tough.

Pour the creamy seafood mixture into the pot of fettuccine you had set aside. With a wooden spoon, incorporate the sauce into the pasta until evenly distributed.  Cover the pot with the lid and let stand for several minutes to thicken up.  You can serve it hot, as is, or you can...

Add bread crumbs over top and place your dutch oven (or broiler safe dish) under the broiler for just a few minutes until crumbs are golden brown (watching ever so carefully, so the breadcrumbs don't burn!).

The bread crumbs add a delicious, crunchy texture to the dish!

And here it is served on a plate...

Mmm!  It was so delicious!

Bon Appetit!