Quick, light, delicious—a spring supper in thirty minutes, including chopping and peeling. I added a little pasta to the pan stew to give it substance. You want the scallop and pea flavors to dominate, so make sure the pasta shells are thin not thick. (Names, sizes, and thickness vary from brand to brand.)And you want shells, because they will catch the juices. You can, of course, omit the pasta if you prefer.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes.
Step 2
While the pasta water comes to a boil, begin cooking the pan stew. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until light brown, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and reserve. Add the scallops, and cook without moving them until they brown on one side, about 1 minute. Turn and cook just until cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes longer. (The timing will vary according to the size of the scallops. Bay scallops require only seconds.) Remove the scallops to a plate.
Step 3
Add the garlic to the pan and sauté briefly until light brown. Add the wine and bring to a boil, while stirring and scraping all over the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the stock, return to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and add the reserved onions. Simmer gently until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and continue to cook until just tender, about 3 minutes.
Step 4
Return the scallops to the pan with the basil, lemon zest, parsley, and the butter, if using. Cook just until the scallops are warm.
Step 5
When the pasta is cooked, drain well and add to the saute pan with the pea mixture. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.
If you prefer less wine flavor, reduce the amount to 1/2 cup or leave it out altogether, replacing the liquid with 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice.
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Reviews (13)
Back to Topbland recipe. There is too much pasta for 1 lb of sea scallops; it was like having pasta with a little bit of scallops. So I tried it again without pasta - not any better. I tried to put in extra basil, which helped a little, but not enough.
illinoisfoodie
illinois
2/20/2012
Delish! I used large scallops from Kodiak, AK, fresh peas, and veggie stock. I upped the garlic and substituted thyme for basil since other reviewers described the recipe as blandish. The result was light but still savory. I will definitely make this again.
Anonymous
Anchorage, AK
8/19/2011
I made this recipe with chicken versus scallops. It was very good, but to sub chicken successfully, the lemon zest should be reduced by 1/2. I always add Old Bay to chicken dishes, and this was no exception - very tasty!
katherineknapp
Pittsburgh, PA
1/30/2011
I agree with some of the other reviews, The ingredients indivdually are great, but for some reason this dish was very bland. I added fresh grated cheese also, and still it was bland. I also, seasoned the scallops before I seared them. I will try it again but will spice it up with red pepper flakes, and maybe add some asparagus tips! You definatly need to serve it with a crusty bread! I used whole wheat Penne Pasta and it worked very well!
dalygirl67
New Jersey
1/12/2010
A little intense for the initial prep, but worked fine. I cooked the pasta before beginning the scallops, etc. Could be done for four, but not more unless you have help in the kitchen. Perfect with a nice green salad, white wine and a lemon dessert. Definitely would do it again! Ron
rsjonesz
Seattle, WA
10/6/2009
I don't know. My husband and I have to agree with a couple readers...all the ingredients made it appealing to try but it just didn't cut it...we put a dash of parmesean cheese on to give it a boost...with the leftovers thinking of ways to perk it up. We were disappointed and very rarely have negative feedback on recipes tried...should have read the reviews before trying this one.
Amanda
Leominster, MA
7/20/2003
For some reason this just did not work for us. We love all the individual ingredients. But it just did not come together as a coherent dish. The amount of liquid is totally under the cook's control - just reduce the liquid to where you want it when you go to finish the dish. We enjoyed other scallop recipes on this site - such as the one with melted leeks (delicious).
斯蒂芬。
Lakes Region of New Hampshire
1/20/2003
It was easy and didn't heat up the kitchen. I prefer making it with bay scallops, but it was fine with the larger scallops. I did make it again and my children liked it.
Anonymous
Roseboom, NY
8/22/2002
This scallop recipe is wonderful. With all the fresh ingredients, how can you go wrong? I will definately make it again.
Anonymous
St. Petersburg, FL
4/26/2001
I really can't understand someone not liking this recipe. The pearl onions gave it a very nice sweet flavor. My wife couldn't believe there was no sugar in it. Very good!
Bill RichardsSr.
Salem, Ohio
12/16/2000
I really can't understand someone not liking this recipe. The pearl onions gave it a very nice sweet flavor. My wife couldn't believe there was no sugar in it. Very good!
Bill RichardsSr.
Salem, Ohio
12/16/2000
I really can't understand someone not liking this recipe. The pearl onions gave it a very nice sweet flavor. My wife couldn't believe there was no sugar in it. Very good!
Bill RichardsSr.
Salem, Ohio
12/16/2000
I would rate this a zero. It was expensive to make, watery, and dreadful. We love scallops but this just didn't combined into an interesting dish.
Judy Meader
Rockville MD
11/17/2000
I would rate this a zero. It was expensive to make, watery, and dreadful. We love scallops but this just didn't combined into an interesting dish.
Judy Meader
Rockville MD
11/17/2000
I would rate this a zero. It was expensive to make, watery, and dreadful. We love scallops but this just didn't combined into an interesting dish.
Judy Meader
Rockville MD
11/17/2000
