Scallops

Black Rice

We initiated our new large frying pan, by sautéing fresh scallops that we purchased from McCall’s Meat and Fish. We love the new pan (which Robert and Darryl introduced us to). With the scallops we served Black Rice using a recipe from Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin. You can find the recipe on our blog of: April 25, 2014. Click the date to get the recipe.

We made the scallops using a recipe for: Tagliatelle with Nantucket Bay Scallops from: The Young Man and the Sea by David Pasternack. The recipe is very easy and quite good.

Tagliatelle with Nantucket Bay Scallops

The Young Man and the Sea

David Pasternack

Simple pasta preparations like this are a nifty way to use delicious but expensive varieties of seafood cost-effectively. For one thing, you ensure that the seafood is the unquestioned star of the dish. Make sure you don't move the scallops at all after you put them in the saute pan; if you do, you won't get that gorgeous, burnished brown crust we all love in sautéed scallops. Even more important, keep the scallops in the pan for no more than 30 seconds to prevent them from going Goodyear. You can also make this dish with Alaskan king or lump crabmeat, or with caviar (use the less expensive Mississippi paddlefish eggs), cooking the roe with a little pasta water or creme fraiche. Regardless of the seafood type, this is a fast-moving recipe, so have all your ingredients and equipment (colander and measuring cup) ready to go. Serves 4

¾      pound fresh tagliatelle

¾      pound Nantucket Bay scallops

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2         tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6         tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons broken up into bits

Leaves from 12 sprigs chervil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fresh pasta and cook for 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Coat a large, preferably nonstick, saute pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat the oil over a medium flame until it smokes. Add the scallops and distribute the 2 tablespoons broken-up butter around the pan. Count to 30 seconds, then shake the pan. Remove immediately and pour the contents of the pan onto a large platter. Set aside.

Return the pan to a medium-high flame. Add the pasta water, the drained pasta, and the remaining butter. Simmer until the liquid has almost disappeared. Turn off the flame and add the scallops (plus any liquid they may have given off) back to the saute pan, along with the chervil. Add the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil and toss to combine. Divide among four serving bowls and sprinkle each with some fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.