I feel like a lucky girl!! My husband surprised me with the nicest dinner for Valentine’s Day! He knows how much I love Scallops so he decided to cook them. He has not always been a big fan of Scallops so I thought it was so sweet of him to get something I love, even though they are not one of his favorites. I think I have turned him into a foodie because he spent a lot of time thinking of something special to make for this dinner. He really thought of all the flavors and what would work well together on the plate. I cannot say I stayed completely out of the kitchen; that is hard for me to do!! I just love to cook and it is fun to cook together.
The meal turned out amazing. The scallops were so perfectly seared & caramelized on the outside and so tender in the middle. They were also finished off with some white wine. They just melted in your mouth. The Angel Hair pasta was tossed with some sauteed veggies and roasted asparagus and topped with some fresh Parmesan Cheese. It was a perfect date night meal.
My contribution to this meal was my Molten Lava Cakes for dessert topped with some Strawberry Ice Cream and candy hearts!
Click here to get my recipe for the Molten Lava Cakes: Molten Lava Cakes
Scallops in White Wine Sauce
Makes 2-3 Servings
Ingredients
0.75lb.-1 lb., Scallops (fresh Sea Scallops)
2 Tablespoons, Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons, Butter
S&P
1/2 Cup, White Wine
8 oz, Angel Hair Pasta
10, small Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons, Fresh Parsley, chopped
2 Scallions (Green Onions, white and green parts)
2 Cloves, Garlic, minced
1 Small Bunch, Asparagus, ends trimmed
1, Lemon, Zest
1/4 Cup, Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.
Pasta: Cook the pasta according to the directions. Add some Kosher Salt and Olive Oil to the water prior to adding the pasta to the boiling water. Remove pasta once done cooking but do not rinse.
Asparagus: Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Trim ends off of the asparagus and lay onto the baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus, season with S&P (good pinch of each). Zest 1 lemon over the asparagus and toss them around to coat all of the veggie. Bake in oven just until slightly tender. Remove from oven, cut into smaller, bite size pieces. Set aside.
Sauteing Veggies
Veggies: On the stove, in a small saute pan, turn heat to medium-high. Add a drizzle of olive oil and add the green onion, tomato. Cook for about a minute then add the garlic and parsley (reserve a little parsley for garnish). Add the asparagus and toss. Add the pasta to the veggie mixture then start to spoon the wine sauce (from the pan with scallops) over the pasta/veggies and make sure to coat the pasta well. Add the Parmesan cheese (reserve a little for garnish).
Seasoning Scallops
Prepping/Searing the Scallops: Remove the small side muscle from the scallops, rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry. Season the scallops on both sides with S&P. Heat a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat (preferably a cast iron skillet). Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted and starts to smoke, add the scallops. Make sure you leave room between each scallop in the pan; they should not be touching. Sear the scallops for approx. 1-2 minutes then flip them over. They should have a nice caramel color to them. Cook another minute then add the white wine to the pan. The scallops should have a nice crispy, golden color on each side and about 1/4 of the way up each side. The middle of the scallop should still be somewhat translucent and tender. Remove from pan.
Scallops with White Wine
Angel Hair Pasta w/veggies & Cheese
To Plate: In the center of the plate place a pile of the pasta/veggie mixture. Place the scallops around the pasta. Garnish with the remaining parsley and Parmesan Cheese. Serve with a nice slice of French or Italian bread.
Mangia! Enjoy!