KT
Kelly TinklerThis is so good. Scallops. Lemons. Pasta. Adapted from a recipe for lemony shrimp scampi by Food Network's Melissa D'Arabian.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Downeast Dayboat scallops (fresh or frozen)
- 6 garlic cloves, minced, grated or pressed
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced, divided
- 5 - 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (healthy pinch to 1/4 tsp)
- one half of a small onion, sliced
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup white wine
- one pound thin linguini
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- optional garnish:
- 2 tbs butter
- grated parmesan
Instructions
- Remove the "sweetmeats" (small, slightly tougher muscle on the side of the scallop) from scallops and set aside.
- In a bowl combine scallops with garlic, zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1 lemon, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile make a quick sweetmeat stock: Place sweetmeats and onion in a small pot.
- Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Strain into a bowl and discard sweetmeats (or give to your cat) and onion.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a generous amount of salt.
- Add the pasta and cook until just tender, 2 minutes less than instructed on the package. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over high heat. If you have a very large pan you can cook all the scallops at once, but most will need to cook in two batches. DO NOT CROWD THE PAN: there should be ample room around each scallop so it sears rather than steaming.
- Remove scallops from marinade, reserving marinade.
- Add scallops to the skillet and sear until they start to caramelize, 2 minutes or so per side depending on size. If cooking in batches remove scallops to a plate and tent with foil.
- Cook second batch and add to plate with first batch.
- Pour reserved marinade into pan and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, then add sweetmeat stock and wine.
- Continue to cook until sauce reduces by half.
- Add parsley, zest and juice of remaining lemon, stir to combine. Add butter if using. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Add pasta, cook for several minutes to absorb sauce. Finally, add scallops and toss to combine.
- Pour into a serving bowl and serve immediately, garnishing with parmesan if desired.
