Combining lump crab meat and fresh plump shrimp with soft and pillowy gnocchi in a delicious white wine sauce makes the perfect meal for a date night. This meal looks fancier than it actually is to make.
You know this is the first time I ever had Gnocchi. Seriously! The absolute first time. I have seen it several times and was always tempted to try it. Every recipe with gnocchi has always looked good. The reason it took me so long to try Gnocchi is that I felt that it was one of those ingredients that were above my “cooking grade”. I also felt some kind of way about cooking with ingredients that I can’t pronounce or is pronounced completely opposite of how it is spelled.
It gives me the impression that it is too fancy. This is probably why Gnocchi is as “fancy” as I am going to get. But I was in Trader Joe’s and it was on sale for a buck and some change and I thought it was a perfect time to get creative and try it. “When in Rome”, right? For this to be the first time where I tried and turned this pasta into a seafood gnocchi dish, I have to tell you, I don’t know why I waited so long to try this beautiful ingredient.
First of all, I love pasta. Second, it is the softest and most delicate pasta I think I’ve ever tasted. It is food that you are forced to eat slowly because of its delicateness. Adding gnocchi with seafood like jumbo lump crab meat, large shrimp, into a white wine sauce makes the dish taste like something that should be at a 5-star restaurant. Like seriously.
What is Gnocchi Pasta?
Gnocchi (also called potato gnocchi) is pasta that is typically made with potatoes. I’ve even seen gnocchi recipes made with mashed sweet potatoes (I never had that before). Gnocchi is also typically cooked with a cream-based sauce like a creamy tomato sauce, a simple meat sauce like this Gnocchi with Meatsauce recipe, or a white wine butter sauce, like in this recipe.
This is an incredibly romantic dish. You will love this dish. I know the ingredient list and steps seem to be a bit intimidating, but I promise you that if you make this dish that combines seafood and gnocchi together, you will be glad you did. I’m glad I did. All I needed was a glass of chilled white wine, garlic bread, and salad. Oh yea, this is not a healthy dish. After one bite, you won’t care.
I want you to get creative with this dish. You can totally add lobster, scallops, clams, or crawfish. Go crazy! Get creative!
Commonly Asked Questions
Not at all! You can use chicken or any other non-meat alternative that you prefer. You can also not add protein to the dish at all. Believe me, the sauce is good on its own.
Nope! You can absolutely use chicken, fish, or vegetable stock if you prefer. However, I must say white wine gives the sauce something special.
Nope! A really good alternative for this recipe is ravioli! A cheese and spinach ravioli would be a good choice.
Similar Recipes
If you like recipes like this Seafood Gnocchi, then you will love the recipes listed below.
- Gnocchi with Meatsauce
- Chicken Alfredo and Broccoli Gnocchi
- Cajun Seafood Pasta
- Seafood Eggs Benedict
Seafood Gnocchi with White Wine Parmesan Sauce
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Combine delicious and fresh seafood to soft and pillowy gnocchi combined with a white wine parmesan sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 1/2 c. white wine
- 1 3/4 c. heavy cream
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 c. Parmesan Reggiano Cheese
- 6 oz. large shrimp, cooked ( I cooked about 15 or so pieces of large shrimp)
- 8 oz. lump crab meat
- 1 lb. Gnocchi
- 1/4 tsp. red crushed pepper flakes
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the Gnocchi to the pot and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. Once all the gnocchi has floated to the top of the pot, remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and turn to a large bowl and cover with a paper towel.
- To make the sauce, melt the tablespoons of butter on medium-high heat in a deep and large shallow pan. Once the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot and cook for 3-5 minutes until the shallots become translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook the garlic for about 2 minutes until it becomes fragrant.
- Add 1 cup of white wine to the garlic and shallots and allow to simmer until reduced by half. Add the other half of the wine and simmer for 2 minutes and add the heavy cream. Allow the cream to simmer for 3-5 minutes on low heat and strain the sauce to remove the garlic and shallots and turn the sauce to a bowl to return back to the shallow pan.
- Return the pot back to the burner and bring to a simmer. Add the Parmesan cheese, add the fresh lemon juice, and stir. Turn the sauce down to simmer while occasionally stirring so the milk and cheese don’t stick.
- In the shallow pan with the sauce, add the gnocchi, crab meat, and cooked shrimp and simmer together for 5-7 minutes on medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and garnish with parsley.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: American
These are great seafood recipes.
Could you replace the Gnocchi with Orzo? Sometimes the Gnocchi bites seem like too much pasta in each bite?
I don’t see why not but you might have to be a little more inventive with the recipe because they don’t cook the same.
You can cut gnocchi in half with a scissors before cooking.
How many servings does the recipe yeild?
I would say for an average size, about 4.
I made this last night and while it tasted fine, the cheese didn’t melt into the cream sauce and turned into a huge blob of melted cheese. With the seafood trapped inside it. Given the cost of all the seafood, I was supremely disappointed in the results.
I’m sorry for how it turned out :-(.
If you didn’t, I would use freshly grated Parmesan cheese (grate your own) as the pre grated stuff from the store doesn’t melt as well. I grated my own and it melted wonderfully
This sounds delicious except for the white wine. I’m not a fan of wine (cooking with or drinking), can I substitute with chicken broth or is there something else? Thanks
Yes!
Ok I made this once and I’m making it again tonight and I just have to say… this is the best cream sauce I have ever had. Ever. Hands down. No competition. Thank you for making this recipe!!!!!!
Thank you Portia. Im so happy.
To rich for my taste. I think it would have been better over rice, although I made homemade gnocchi.r
I made the seafood gnocchi in the white wine sauce last night for our valentine dinner it was amazing I added a few more spices and scallops. I think it turned out better than some I had in restaurants and saved money by making it at home. Thank you for sharing your recipe it was awesome. ❤
That is awesome Rosemarie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was excellent the first time I made it. I am just confused. It lists 2 tbsp. Of butter twice but only calls for it for the sauce. Is it 4 tbsp or just 2 and it was accidentally listed twice in the ingredients?
I think that was a typo. Thank you for mentioning!
Is it possible to make this ahead of time and reheat?
Yes you can! I recommend to keep it no longer than a week so it doesn’t lose flavor.
What is a deep large and shallow pan? Can a pan be deep and shallow at the same time?
A deep shallow pan has a little more depth than a regular skillet. Does that help?