This was my first attempt at scallops not on the grill and I would have to say you HAVE to do this! I didn’t make the salad because this was a lot of food for just Jen and I but I hope you all enjoy.

Seared Sea Scallops with Herb/Wine Sauce on Linguini

1 package of Buitoni Linguini

1 pound of sea scallops

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons of butter

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large shallot, chopped

1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

4 springs fresh thyme

1 cup of white wine

a good handful of fresh basil leaves torn

about half of a handful of parsley, chopped

1 lemon, you will use the zest and juice from this lemon

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and turn the oil in the pan so it gets coated. Now add 2 tablespoons of butter.

When your butter melts into the oil it is time to add the scallops. You will want to ensure your butter/oil mixture is hot and you will be able to tell by the smoke produced by the skillet at the surface. DO NOT ADD SCALLOPS UNTIL THE SKILLET IS HOT! Ok got your attention trust me this makes a difference on the meal.

Brown the scallops which if you followed the directions on ensuring of a hot skillet, this will take about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Ok now the scallops are done, remove the scallops from the pan and cover with foil to keep them warm while you finish the rest of the dish. (This is when I start my pot of water for the linguini)

Now add just a little bit of olive oil to your skillet over high heat and add garlic, shallots, crushed red pepper, thyme, and salt to taste.

Once this comes to a boil, reduce the heat a little and saute everything for about 4 minutes. During these four minutes make sure you stir constantly and I enjoyed a glass of wine while stirring to make it a little more interesting. Ok now add the wine and this should free up the pan drippings which I call YUMMY GOODNESS! Now once the drippings free up add the clam juice.

Cook this for about 4 minutes and now add the basil/parsley:

Add lemon zest:

Add lemon juice:

Then add the remaining butter:

While the butter is cooking into the sauce, I add my linguini noodles to the pot of water that should be boiling by now. Stir the wine sauce and within two minutes my noodles are done and I add them to the sauce.

Let the pasta soak up the sauce for 1 minute before you start stiring everything up–this also makes a difference in this dish.

Now time for the plating:

I served this dish with a bottle of Pinot Grigio and we actually ate outside which was very nice. I hope you enjoy!

Happy Cooking!