Scallop Pasta Recipe

Linguine with Scallops

Favorite Restaurant Seafood Recipe

Favorite Restaurant Pasta Recipe

The sea scallop is the largest of the scallops. This Scallop Pasta Recipe calls for sea scallops but you can use the smaller bay scallops if you wish.

With the large sea scallop you usually get about 20-40 in one pound. They are best bought fresh, not frozen.

And, scallops have a distinct, sweet odor when they are fresh.

They are sometimes cut into halves or quarters for cooking but you must take care not to over cook them. As soon as they lose their translucence and turn opaque, they are done. If you over cook scallops, they become tough.

Sea scallops are cooked in almost every way that fish is cooked. The most popular methods are sautéing, deep frying, broiling and poaching.

Bay scallops are about 1/2 inch in diameter, so you usually get about 50-90 per pound. Be especially careful when cooking bay scallops. Because they are small, they tend to cook very quickly and over cooking them is easy to do.

Because of their small size, bay scallops are best if they are baked or sautéed.

This Sea Scallop Recipe calls for linguine pasta, but you can substitute fettuccine or other long, narrow pastas.

Sea Scallop Pasta Recipe

Favorite Restaurant Seafood Recipe

Preparation time: 20 minutes. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of clarified butter

To clarify butter:

• Melt butter over very low heat
• Skim off what comes to the surface
• Slowly pour off the oil part into another container
• Discard the solids

• 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
• 6 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 pound linguine or fettuccine, seasoned with Kosher salt
• Juice of half fresh lemon
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (1 tablespoon fresh basil is best)
• 4 ounces white wine (Pinot Grigio is best for this recipe)
• Salt and fresh black pepper
• 4-6 ounces of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions:

• Cook linguine as directed on package al dente’
• Drain and rinse with hot water and keep linguine warm
• If using sea scallops and they are very large, cut them in half (or quarters)
• Dry the scallops on and with paper towel
• Heat the clarified butter in a large Saute’ Pan over fairly high heat
  
• Place the scallops and the sun-dried tomatoes in the sauté pan 
  

• Quickly sauté, shaking the pan often to keep the scallops from sticking (remember, they cook quickly)
• When the scallops are about half done (about 2 minutes for bay scallops and cut sea scallops – 3 minutes for whole sea scallops) deglaze with white wine (pour wine around inside edges of pan) and reduce by cooking until wine is nearly evaporated
• Add pasta, basil and lemon juice and cook until pasta is heated through
• Correct seasoning with salt and fresh ground black pepper
• Pour into pasta bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves
  

TA-DA! You have a delicious Scallop Pasta meal! Serve it with garlic bread and a salad!

Enjoy your delicious, favorite scallop pasta recipe and the company of those you share it with!

Donna

Did you know? In the early 1990s, the fishery for Atlantic sea scallops in the northeastern U.S. was not sustainable – the population was near record lows and fishing was at a record high.

Today, the Atlantic sea scallop population is near record highs and the fishery operates at sustainable levels.

Currently, this fishery is not only one of the most valuable fisheries in the United States, but it is also the most valuable wild scallop fishery in the world.