This recipe for Creamy Tuscan Shrimp and Scallops is so quick, easy and sinfully delicious… no one will know you spent just 20 minutes preparing it!
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Shrimp and scallops in a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce with sun dried tomatoes and spinach
Flavor-packed is a total understatement here… this sauce with sun dried tomatoes and spinach is so velvety, savory and creamy. Pair it with sweet shrimp and scallops and seafood night has never been better (or easier!).
I love it over pasta or by itself with crusty French bread to dip in the cream sauce… so cozy!
Tips for perfect shrimp and scallops in this recipe:
- Rinse shrimp and scallops, pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides before cooking.
- Since shrimp and sea scallops have different cooking times, I cooked them separately. They both cook quickly but shrimp take a little less time to cook than scallops. Over-cooking gives shrimp and scallops a tough, rubbery texture.
Enjoy!
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Creamy Tuscan Shrimp and Scallops
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- ½ pound sea scallops
- ½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (more or less, to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (more or less, to taste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and thinly sliced
- ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 cups tightly packed fresh spinach
Instructions
- Rinse scallops and shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook scallops first – Cook scallops on each side for approximately 2-½ minutes, or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Add more olive oil to the skillet if necessary and cook shrimp – Cook for about 1-½ minutes on each side or until shrimp have just turned pink on both sides. Transfer to the plate with the cooked scallops and set aside.
- Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly (about 30 seconds).
- Add broth, cream, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Stir well to combine.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes. Add spinach and continue to simmer until spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened (about 1-2 minutes).
- Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Return shrimp and scallops to skillet and serve topped with cream sauce.
- Optional: serve over cooked pasta, if desired.
Notes
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, eggs or unpasteurized milk may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Italian
Anne
Simply delicious! Thank you for sharing. Definitely a keeper.
Kim
Hi there, is it better to used cooked (frozen) or raw shrimp for this recipe?
Hi Kim, this recipe is prepared with raw shrimp and raw scallops that you cook in the olive oil (steps 2 and 3). I hope you enjoy it if you make it!
Trena Sturges
I just made this recipe. It ended up being pretty tasty but was not as thick as I thought it would be. My sauce turned out really thin and I followed the recipe to the T.
Anne
Let the broth simmer longer…
Gerard
Delicious recipe. Went together easy. I didn’t have spinach but had some collards from my garden so I precooked them to tenderize and it turned out well.
James
You know how every once in a while you have a dish that you think about days, even weeks after? Yeah, it’s been weeks so far, and may become months. This is a great, GREAT recipe. I made it for a family gathering and have been requested, nay, demanded to make it again. Silly family, I had already planned to do so (perhaps in secret, I want more for myself!). Do not skip the sun dried tomatoes in oil (found in a jar around here). Bravo Amy, my sincerest thanks!!
Thank so much, James! I’m so glad you enjoyed it – I appreciate your nice words!
Diane Manning
Can you use frozen spinach in this recipe?
Jill
This quickly became a family favorite! Easy to make and we enjoy mixing up occasionally by adding mushrooms, red peppers and shallots when I have them. My family really loves when I add the Asiago, Parmesan, Romano blended cheese from Sam’s Club to the recipe & I love seeing them eat spinach!
Mikey Marsh
This was a perfect base recipe. Tuscan shrimp and scallops in a spinach infused cream sauce. Served with a Italian Rummo Bucatini Pasta
(This pastas center is hollowed out and man can it soaked up the flavors. Try it if you haven’t.)
Bon appétit
Peggy Smaagard this was my first time eating this pasta Absolutely delicious!!
I can send you my starter recipe, but I embellish with what I think would be good.
I cut up very fine a shallot peppers and garlic and fried after I caramelized the scallops and shrimp and then deglazed with a cup of wine then added the stock and cream. I added the pasta right into the skillet with the cream sauce and sea food.
You should include an area that your fans can post pictures. Great recipe thank you.
Judy James
I made this with baby Bella mushrooms bc well I love mushrooms. It was delish!!
Judy James
Hi Amy,
Unless I missed it somewhere, I don’t see a nutritional breakdown anywhere.
Joe Angelo
I made it according to the instructions, it was great but it looked like it was curddled. I guess it was the Parm? Any advice? I will make it again.
Jessica
Did you use fresh parmesan? If you use pre-grated they put a powder on there to keep the cheese from sticking together so it doesn’t melt properly. Always use freshly grated cheese (that you do yourself) when making any sauce. I hope this helps! Otherwise, maybe add the cheese in a little at a time while mixing to prevent your sauce from splitting.
Joann Zimenoff
I made the shrimp and scallop dinner tonight. We both loved it! We love lots of garlic, so I will add more the next time. I used frozen spinach and it really tasted great with the Parmesan sauce. I put it over rice and that was great too. Definitely worth making again.
Art
how do you make cream sauce or do you buy it? When you buy it does the label just say cream sauce? Obviously I am not a full time cook.
Hi Art, the recipe ingredients and instructions to make the Parmesan cream sauce are in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post. I hope you enjoy it!