About the Recipe
for a delicious and quick meal, this pasta and scallops dish will hit the spot
Ingredients
1 large lemon, grated for zest
(and freshly squeezed for
2 Tbsp lemon juice)
1 Tbsp garlic, minced or pressed
(about 2�3 cloves)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided into two
1-Tbsp portions
16 large sea scallops (about 1 lb)
� tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
8 oz very thin spaghetti (vermicelli
or angel hair)
2 Tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
Preparation
1 In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 3 quarts of water to a
boil over high heat. When the water boils, reduce
heat to simmer until you�re ready to cook the pasta
(step 5).
2 While the water is heating up, use a grater to take
off small peels of the skin of the lemon into a small
saucepan. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the
juice into the pan and remove pits. Use the back of a
large spoon to press the inside of the lemon to
extract more juice. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon
of the olive oil to the saucepan. Stir to blend well.
Place on stovetop on low heat.
3 Heat a large nonstick pan or grill pan on high
temperature until very hot. Sprinkle the scallops with
salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to
coat well.
4 Place the scallops in the hot pan. Cook about
4 minutes on each side, or until scallops are well
browned and firm and milky white to the center
(to a minimum internal temperature of 145 �F).
5 After turning the scallops to the second side, drop
the pasta into the boiling water. Set temperature on
medium, and cook for 2 minutes or the shortest
recommended time according to package directions.
6 When the pasta is done, set aside � cup of the
cooking water. Drain the pasta. Return drained
pasta to the pot, and toss with the warm olive oil
mixture and the � cup reserved pasta water.
7 Divide the pasta equally among four plates (about
1 cup per plate). Top each with four scallops.
8 Garnish each dish with � tablespoon of shredded
parmesan cheese. Serve immediately