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:



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.



 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.


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 .