Serves 2
Scallops are a simple yet impressive dish.
Use a very hot, preheated pan and always pat the scallops dry to remove excess moisture – this ensures a crisp, golden crust and a juicy, buttery centre.
125g fresh linguini (or use 90g
dried)
1 tbsp olive oil
12 scallops, corals (pink bits) removed
2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
75ml white wine
Juice of ½ lemon, plus extra to serve
Large handful of parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the linguini according to the packet instructions.
Meanwhile, place a large, non-stick frying pan over a high heat – you want the pan to be piping hot to sear the
scallops. Once hot, add the olive oil and allow to heat up while you gently pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper.
Season both sides of each scallop with a little salt.
Place each scallop in the pan and leave to cook for 90 seconds–2 minutes on each side. Don’t move them
around the pan, apart from to flip them halfway.
Once both sides have been seared, remove the scallops and turn the heat down to very low. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and, when melted, tip in the garlic and leave to cook for about a minute, just until it goes golden (you don’t want it to burn).
Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan and then add the lemon juice. Leave for another minute until it’s reduced by about half and then melt in the last tablespoon of butter.
Drain the pasta, reserving 2 tablespoons of the water to add to the butter sauce. Stir this through the sauce and then add the drained linguine to the pan. Stir through the parsley, reserving a little to garnish.
Divide the linguini between 2 plates and top with the scallops, plenty of freshly ground black pepper, the reserved parsley and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.
Recipes extracted from Food for the Soul by Lucy Lord. HarperCollins. RRP$34.99
