This is a quick and tasty meal that’s sure to impress. If you chop the vegetables ahead of time and prep the scallops, it will take you less than 15 minutes to get dinner on the table! The secret to searing scallops is to make sure the pan is hot and that there is enough room to cook the scallops in a single layer without crowding them. Serve this dish with a crisp, green salad and sliced crusty bread for a hearty and satisfying meal.
INGREDIENTS
- 5 large scallops, thawed if frozen
- 1 small onion, diced
- ½ cup (125 mL) diced zucchini
- ½ cup (125 mL) thinly sliced small mushrooms
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
- 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
- ⅔ cup (160 mL) freshly grated parmesan
- ½ tsp (2.5 mL) each salt, pepper and paprika
- dash cayenne pepper
- 7 ounces (200 g) fresh linguine
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
METHOD
- Remove the adductor muscles on the sides of the scallops and slice them in half crosswise. Place scallops on a piece of paper towel on a plate. Put another piece of paper towel on top and press down to dry the scallops. Put them in the refrigerator with the paper towels until ready to cook.
- Sauté onions, zucchini and mushrooms in the butter in a large, non-stick frying pan placed over medium heat, stirring often. When vegetables are softened (3–4 minutes), remove pan from heat.
- In another small saucepan heat whipping cream; when steaming, stir in parmesan and seasonings. Bring to a boil then turn heat off immediately and add sautéed vegetables; turn heat to lowest setting. Note: do not wipe out the pan you cooked the vegetables in.
- Add pasta to a large pot of boiling, generously salted water. Fresh pasta (linguine or fettuccine) will take just 4 minutes to cook. As soon as pasta starts cooking, reheat to medium-high the pan in which the vegetables were sautéed.
- Add the scallops to the hot pan in a single layer and cook about 1½ to 2 minutes per side.
- When you have flipped the scallops and they are almost done, scoop out 2 tablespoons of the starchy pasta water and add it to the sauce.
- Drain the cooked pasta and divide among serving bowls. Pour sauce over top of noodles then place scallops on top and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Makes 2 servings
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