Creamy seafood rasta pasta

This past Saturday, my oldest son, and first born turned 16 years old. What a milestone! Since we’re still on the heels of the pandemic, we couldn’t gather with friends, so we decided to keep the celebration within our family. We honored our family tradition of making the birthday person feel special by adding memorable touches throughout the day.

My husband, our two kids, and I tried to accomplish a lot while keeping his personality in mind. We decorated the house, predawn, with over 100 balloons, pompoms, ribbons, in his school colors, blue and gold. In anticipation of his football season’s final game (on his birthday), I prepared a hearty breakfast filled with all his favorites and delivered it in bed. Birthday breakfast in bed never gets old here. Since he’s cautious about what he eats on game day, I didn’t want to give him the fried options of Dominican bakes, accra, or fried plantains (which he loves). He enjoyed blueberries, strawberries, omelet with spinach, smoked salmon on the inside and outside, pumpernickel bread with sunflower seeds, and a glass of orange juice.

My husband suggested that we take our son out to dinner. We decided on a lovely outdoor restaurant in the heart of Los Altos, California, Aldo, which is owned and operated by two of our friends. There was so much to celebrate — birthday and winning the PAL Football league, undefeated. We felt like the change of scenery and dining experience would make the occasion more festive. My son enjoyed a delicious Angus steak with spinach and potatoes, and we returned home for cake. Although he’s not a lover of sweet foods, I baked him a very rich chocolate birthday cake. He’s a foodie who enjoys cooking, so his steak and cake review was legitimate. He raved about them both.

Away from the kitchen, out of my rhythm, I felt this nostalgic urge to prepare my son a post-birthday meal on Sunday. I decided on one that all he’d genuinely enjoy, “rasta pasta” with seafood. He loves pasta, spicy foods, and a seafood aficionado, so this combination was a match made in heaven.

To simply put it, seafood rasta pasta is spicy seafood alfredo. I included shrimp, scallops, and lobster tails. I like to purchase large raw shrimps, 16-20 per pound and less. Whenever I buy shrimps, I get them deveined with the shell on, so I can remove the shell myself and keep the tails.
I prepared all my seafood, cleaned them, and set them aside while I boil and prepare the pasta. For this recipe, I use extra thick spaghetti to give the dish some volume and make it filling.

Here’s how I made this delicious dish