Dan, Recipephany’s resident Italian chef, came up with this simple scallop pasta. Tiny sweet scallops fry up in no time, and then get bathed in a light lemon sauce. Tossed with a thin pasta, these delicate bits of seafood happily entangle with strands of nutty durum wheat. It all comes together into a delightful, delicious chew. It’s the sort of house specialty you’d find in a cozy Mediterranean trattoria.
Because Dan cooks by instinct, he likes to provide guidelines rather than exact quantities. He specified the ratio of scallops to pasta (1:1 by weight), but skirted the issue of measurements. So if you see a half-cup here and a tablespoon there, that’s me trying to help out. Of course, if you like to cook intuitively, have fun and do it Italian-style.
Dan’s Scallop Pasta
- 1 pound baby scallops (frozen Patagonian scallops from Trader Joe’s, or bay scallops)
- 1 pound skinny pasta (such as spaghettini, vermicelli or capellini)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 shallots
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup white wine, or enough to deglaze pan
- Red pepper flakes (to taste)
- Juice and zest of one large lemon
- Chicken or vegetable bouillon, about ½ cup liquid
- Capers (optional)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Parsley, minced, to finish
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste
1. Defrost scallops and swaddle them in paper towels, changing often to squeeze out the water.
2. Prep and heat the pasta water, with salt.
3. Put olive oil in a large, hot frying pan, then dump in the scallops. If you’re lucky, you’ll get some browning without overcooking them. They cook in minutes.
4. Remove from the frying pan into a bowl and lightly salt and pepper.
5. Maybe about now, start the pasta. Don’t cook beyond al dente. Save the water in the pot.
5. Throw more oil and some butter into the pan, minced garlic to taste, finely chopped shallots and some red pepper flakes. Cook slowly till soft.
6. Deglaze with white wine. After a minute or so, toss in the lemon juice, zest and chicken bouillon. And capers if you choose. Cook just to let flavors mingle.
7. Toss in the undercooked pasta and start mixing. Add pasta water as you go to keep everything moist. Add more bouillon if it can take more salt.
8. Again, if you’re lucky, you’ll get a sauce that’s a bit creamy. Before the pasta fully cooks, toss the scallops back in and gently stir.
9. Finish with a pat of butter, minced parsley and black pepper.
10. Serve with white wine (not the $#&% you cook with) and grated cheese on the table. Again optional.
