This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
Creamy scallop pasta is a restaurant-quality pasta recipe loaded with succulent scallops in white wine cream sauce. So easy and delicious!
Scallop Pasta Recipe
I’m so excited to share this recipe as you can tell from the photos, this pasta is out-of-the-world delicious.
It rivals the best of Italian restaurants and you’ve gotta make it for dinner tonight!
For more seafood pasta recipes, check out my Shrimp and Spinach Pasta recipe next!
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.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti
- Sea scallops
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Lemon
- Lemon juice
- Parsley
- Crushed red pepper
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Heavy whipping cream
- Dry white wine
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Heat up a pot of water and cook the spaghetti until al dente, per the package instructions. Drain the spaghetti when they are cooked.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: 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.
Step 4: 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 649 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Creamy Scallop Pasta
These side dishes go well with the scallop pasta. Make all of them for a wholesome dinner tonight!
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Creamy Scallop Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (250g) spaghetti
- 1 lb (450g) 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
- Heat a pot of water and cook the spaghetti until al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain the spaghetti once it is cooked.
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pan-sear the scallops over high heat until both surfaces are browned. Remove the scallops from the skillet and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and sauté the garlic and crushed red pepper for about 10 seconds. Then, add the white wine, heavy whipping cream, lemon juice, salt, and ground black pepper.
- Transfer the spaghetti and scallops to the skillet and stir to coat them well with the creamy sauce. Add the chopped parsley and serve immediately with lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- 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.
- I used spaghetti, but you can certainly make this dish with linguine, spaghetti rigati, penne or rotini pasta.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Amazing taste! Restaurant quality dish!
Thank you, your comment is much appreciated.
This had excellent flavor but our sauce was more like soup than sauce. I thicken it with corn starch and it was good
I think there are general issues with this recipe and it could be from my lack of experience too.
1. The ratio of white wine to cream seems off
2. There are no comments about timing etc
The sauce did not turn out so great.
This makes a whole lot more sense (and worked out way better)…
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20895/creamy-white-wine-sauce/
We thoroughly enjoyed recipe, my wife gave me 5 Star for this although, I made a little variation, I found the sauce a little sharp from the Lemon Juice. May be I added a little too much, so to compensate I added 1/2 a cup of Rum Chata to the sauce, it turned out excellent, 5 Star Restaurant Quality Thank You
Awesome!
This was a quick, easy & delicious recipe!
I used Buccatini pasta instead of spaghetti- it was so good and the sauce slipped inside of the pasta!
I also only used 1/2 cup of wine and substituted the other 1/2 with chicken broth. So much flavor!!
Scallops were from Costco and were huge and super sweet!
Keeping this recipe for sure!
Can you make this sauce the day before you serve it?
Sure you can.
I made this scallop dish along with the garlic spinach side that was recommended and they complimented each other very nicely. This was a Mother’s Day dinner for my mother and she was so pleased with it. I baked her a lemon meringue pie to finish the meal and everything went so well together. Thanks for putting together such an elegant and flavorful yet light recipe!
Hi Rebecca, thanks so much for trying my recipe for Mother’s Day. Please try more recipes: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Why don’t you add timing to make this recipe complete?
Best scallop pasta, so creamy.
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. Its rich in flavor while still being light. My husband doesn’t like pasta dishes normally and this is his favorite.
Hi Anne that’s awesome. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
I thought it was delicious and so did my husband. I liked that the white creamy sauce had both wine and cream .Of course everything is better with garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese. The hardest part was sautéing the scallops without grease all over.
Hi Sarah, that’s awesome. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Can this be done with 1/2 and 1/2 instead of whipping cream?
Yes.
My experience is to make sure seafood is really dry. That keeps splattering down in the hot oil.