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Total Time
25 minutes
Citrus and fennel make a great pair; the former’s brightness and and latter’s subtle anise notes play nicely together in salads, sauces, and an inspiring scallop crudo at LaRina in Brooklyn, the creative impetus for this dish. Here, this dynamic duo teams up to flavor a pan of tiny pasta with seared scallops and lots of butter. While the lemon slices (which go soft in the sauce) can be cut by hand, then fennel is best when paper-thin.This is the place for a mandolineif you have one.
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What you’ll need
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Benriner Mandoline Slicer
$80 At Amazon
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Large Pot
$55 At Amazon
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Pyrex 4-Cup Measuring Cup
$8 At Bed Bath and Beyond
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Large Skillet
$75 At Amazon
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Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Ingredients
4 servings
Step 1
Cook12 oz. small pasta (such as ditalini)in a large pot of boilingsaltedwater, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Step 2
Meanwhile, season12 sea scallops (about 1 lb.), patted dry, withkosher salt. Heat3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oilin a large skillet over high. Cook scallops until well browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn scallops over; cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and arrange browned side up.
Step 3
Melt4 Tbsp. unsalted butterin same pan over medium heat. Add1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed, and¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakesand season with salt andfreshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until lemon slices are softened, about 2 minutes. Add3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juiceand1 Tbsp. fish sauceand cook, stirring constantly and scraping up browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, until mixture is loosened and combined, about 30 seconds.
Step 4
Gradually stream in ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid, stirring constantly, and cook, still stirring, until homogenous, about 2 minutes. Add remaining4 Tbsp. unsalted butter; cook, stirring, until combined (it should be loose but glossy). Remove sauce from heat and season with salt.
Step 5
Add pasta and½ large head of fennel, cored, shaved with a mandoline or thinly sliced; toss to coat. Divide among shallow bowls and set scallops, browned side up, on top. Scatterfennel fronds撒上黑胡椒和红辣椒flakes.
