Perfectly Seared Scallops & Pasta, adapted from Steamy Kitchen

Today was one of those days-- the kind where I'm driving home, from a hard day at the office, and I dread the thought of coming home to cook.  Then again, I didn't want to go out to eat because we're tightened up our budget a bit-- we recently bought the house we've been living in for a few years. While we don't regret our investment, we're a little cash poor for a while. With that said, I resigned myself to trying to figure out a recipe that would be quick and didn't require a stop at the grocery store.  I did a mental inventory of my freezer...frozen scallops!  I remembered seeing Jaden Hair's recipe for Scallops & Pasta that she posted on Tasty Kitchen (The Pioneer Woman's recipe blog for her fans). Thawing scallops is easy-- I soaked them in a little water for about 20 minutes and patted them very, very dry.  Trust me, this is a very important thing to do:

These are giant scallops that I bought at Costco, several months ago. They're reasonably priced.

Be sure to remove the "foot".  It's easy to spot, because it separates very easily from the scallop.  If you forget to do this (which I have), it's a bit chewy.  Pat the scallops again, because you want them very dry.  Otherwise, you'll end up "steaming" the scallops, and that's not as pretty or tasty as a golden sear.  There's some prep work to do:

Start a  pot of water to boiling, and you'll need some pasta-- spaghetti, linguini, angel hair.. whatever you have. I have a weakness for collecting pasta from Trader Joe's. This one looks good!  Salt the water and cook according to package directions.

Chop a tomato-- I used Romas, because I think they're perfect for cooking. Mince some garlic, and I decided to mince a shallot.  Rarely do I not have shallots on hand. I love them, and I use them often.   Now, we're ready to make dinner in no time, flat!  Salt & pepper the scallops on both sides...

Now, here's the second key point to searing-- ready?  The skillet has to be fire-engine red hot! Hot, hot, hot!  That's when a cast iron skillet comes in handy.  I added some olive oil and then put those scallops in the hot pan, giving them some space.

Can you hear it sizzling? Do not touch these for two minutes. Otherwise, bad things will happen!

This shot is out of focus, sorry. It was hard to hold the tongs, when I'm right handed and to focus -- and I forgot to turn on the macro.  Still, I wanted to show how I checked after two minutes-- perfect! Now flip them over.

I liked Jaden's tip to flip the scallops over and to move them towards the center. See those brown bits? Flavor! Remove the scallops, and set aside.  Time to finish off this dish.

I like to use Sauvignon Blanc or Vermouth for cooking...

 I did things a little backwards from Jaden's recipe-- I added the white wine, followed with some chicken stock (you could use all white wine or all chicken stock).  From there, I added the fresh garlic and shallots and let them cook for less than a minute-- then I added the fresh tomatoes for about 30 seconds.  Last, I added the drained pasta.  Jaden's way was to add butter to the skillet, then the garlic and tomatoes and then the wine...whatever floats your boat.

This is fast food, my way!

We grow our own basil, so I picked a few fresh leaves-- rolled them up like a cigar, and then sliced them into a chiffonade.  Do this at the last minute, as fresh basil will turn dark.

There you have it-- perfectly seared scallops.  These were sweet and very tender.

VERDICT:  I need to make scallops more often. This recipe would work well with prawns, as well. My husband-- who crinkled his nose at eating scallops--  said they were delicious!  He was impressed at how tender these were-- seafood fillet mignon. I had a glass of chilled white wine, and I was very happy.

The printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.  The beauty of this dinner is that I can put my feet up and relax.  We saved a lot of money by not going out to eat, yet I feel this dish was restaurant quality. Thanks Jaden!

 

By the way, I bought her debut cookbook, and I look forward to learning how to cook more Asian recipes. Her photos are great!

This is a keeper!

 I am submitting this dish to Presto Pasta Nights, which is being hosted by The Crispy Cook .