I’m so excited to share this recipe as you can tell from the photos, this pasta is out-of-the-world delicious, and rivals the best of Italian restaurants. You need to make it for dinner tonight!
Bay Scallops or Big Scallops?
I used big scallops I got from Costco, they are fresh and reasonably priced.
However, bay scallops are definitely cheaper and will work just fine. The key is to choose “dry” (natural) scallops and not chemically treated “wet” scallops. Read more below.
How to Choose Scallops?
There are two types of scallops: treated vs. untreated scallops. Untreated scallops are wild, sea scallops which are naturally sweet, briny in taste and absolutely delicious.
The exterior is milky white in color, sometimes with a tint of yellow or pink. The scallops are opaque and non-slippery to the touch.
When you rinse the scallops with water, the water doesn’t become foamy. Treated scallops are cheaper; they usually look plump, translucent and slippery to the touch.
When you rinse them in water, the water becomes foamy. Stay away from this type of scallops as they pretty much have no taste with lots of chemicals.
When you purchase frozen scallops in a package, it’s very important you read through the label.
Treated wet scallops usually has sodium tripolyphosphate, or STPP in them.
Which Pasta to Use?
I used spaghetti, but you can certainly make this dish with linguine, spaghetti rigati, penne or rotini pasta.
The star of the dish is the creamy scallop pasta sauce made with garlic, white wine, heavy cream and other seasonings.
What Dishes to Serve with this Recipe?
These side dishes go well with the scallop pasta. Make all of them for a wholesome dinner tonight!
This Recipe Goes Well with:
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Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. spaghetti
- 1 lb. sea scallops, rinse and pat dry with paper towels
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine or Japanese cooking sake
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
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Heat up a pot of water and cook the spaghetti until al dente, per the package instructions. Drain the spaghetti when they are cooked.
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Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat up a skillet and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pan-sear the scallops on high heat until both surface turn brown. Remove the scallops from the skillet. Set aside.
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Add the remaining olive oil into the pan and saute the garlic and crushed red pepper, about 10 seconds. Add the white wine, heavy whipping cream, lemon juice, salt and ground black pepper.
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Transfer the spaghetti and scallops into the skillet, stir to mix well with the creamy sauce. Add the chopped parsley and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
Make the following side dishes for an Italian restaurant meal at home!
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Dianna
This is the first time I have cooked scallops. I used pasta water instead of wine. Flavor was AMAZING! I didn’t use enough water so the pasta was a little dry but I will definitely be using this recipe again. Dianna
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Dianna, thanks so much for trying my scallop pasta recipe. :)
Chrissie Baker
Love your recipes, so easy and flavorful, and scallops are my favorite
Sev
8 oz pasta seems light for 4, most recommend 3-4 oz dry pasta per person for a full meal. Anyway, even though I used an artisan brand of pasta designed to hold on to sauce more, though I did use dry pasta, it wouldn’t absorb it. No matter, basics are good, the flavor profile was spot on. Lately the local butcher has been getting in enormous scallops, dry pack, so I’m always up for a scallop recipe. Amazing how sweet tasting scallops are.
Rasa Malaysia
Oops, I just looked at my recipe, my serving was for 3 people, we are small eaters. Lol. You can try my other scallops recipes here: https://rasamalaysia.com/tag/scallops
Sev
I think the proportions are off in this recipe. I tried it as written, but it was very watery and the sauce did not stick to the pasta at all. I think the issue is the 1 cup(!) of white wine, I’d say maybe 1/4 cup max. Also, I’d suggest that after sauteing the garlic and pepper flake in olive oil, add the lemon juice and wine and reduce the wine to a more syrupy consistency, then add the cream and let it reduce slightly to thicken.
In general this is similar to how I do pasta off the cuff but I usually use half butter and half olive oil, because, well, butter!
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Sev, that’s very strange. As you can see from my recipe, the pasta is dry and not wet. This recipe serves 4 people and white wine evaporizes quickly. Of course you can reduce the sauce to your desired consistency before adding the pasta. Also, pasta tends to soak up the sauce after it’s cooked.
Brenda Skinner
I have tried for two days to copy this recipe that I definitely want to try but the link is going nowhere. Everytime I command it to print, it goes back to the original page. Thanks.
klebefolie
That was delicious! I just made it. My husband and I both loved it. Thanks for the recipe!