- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- salt
- ground pepper
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 (28-ounce) cans finely diced or crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 bunch fresh basil, divided
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus extra for garnish
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¾ cups dry white wine
- 10 cups water
- ½ pound small clams, scrubbed
- ½ pound mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- ½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ pound scallops
- 12 ounces dried spaghetti
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic, and stir for 5 to 8 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Season the onions and garlic with salt and pepper.
- Add the anchovies and the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes, breaking up the anchovies with a spoon.
- Stir in the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, ¼ cup of chopped basil, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons of salt, Italian seasoning, and white wine.
- Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a separate stockpot over high heat.
- Add the clams to the saucepan and cook them until they open, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the clams to a large bowl, discarding any that did not open.
- Add the mussels to the saucepan and cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they open.
- Transfer the cooked mussels to the bowl with the clams, again discarding any that did not open.
- Add the spaghetti to the boiling water (not the saucepan) and cook it until it is barely al dente, about 11 minutes.
- Drain the pasta, reserving about ¼ cup of the pasta water.
- Bring the sauce back to a boil, then add the shrimp and scallops and cover the pan.
- Remove the pan from heat and let it sit for 5 to 8 minutes until the shrimp and scallops are just about cooked through.
- Then, return the pasta sauce to the stovetop and bring it to a boil.
- Add the cooked pasta and the reserved pasta water to the pan, and simmer for about 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to a large bowl.
- Season the dish with salt, ground pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Arrange the cooked clams and mussels over the pasta and garnish with the remaining fresh basil leaves to serve.