Thyme's A Wastin: Dinner Date at Home: Baked Scallops and Lemon Pesto Cream Fettuccini

Baked scallops are the perfect stay in dinner entrée. If you order them at a restaurant, you are almost certain to leave underfed. But, for the same prince of a single mini serving out, you can have a massive seafood feast at home.

Baked Scallops

Ingredients

¾ to 1lb of Sea Scallops

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Milk or Cream

1/3 Cup Breadcrumbs

To begin, buying the right scallops is essential. I am huge proponent of being thrifty, but, this is not the time to pinch pennies. In Boston, my market of choice is James Hook and Co. Seafood is all they do and they do it well.

I do my best to use the scallops same day, or at most the day after purchase. Be sure to select sea scallops not bay scallops- they just aren’t the same for this dish and cooking times would vary.

To begin, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

I start by checking each scallop to see if any of the side muscle remains, and, if present remove and discard. You will be able to recognize it as a slightly opaque tag of muscle that is tougher than the rest of the scallop. Once inspected, I fill a bowl with cold water and place the scallops in gently to rinse any residue. Scallops are very delicate so emphasis on doing this gently. If you prefer to rinse, do it under cool lighting running water so you do not tear the scallop. Place the cleaned scallops on a dry paper towel, then and pat dry with a second paper towel.

Place 1 to 1 and ½ tablespoons of butter in a pie plate and put in the oven until it melts. Allow to cool slightly and add the milk.

The milk helps calm any remaining fishiness that might be present. You want the butter and milk mixture to cool a bit so that the scallops do not poach in the liquid before they go in the oven. Once slightly cooled, add the scallops to the pie plate, flipping to coat all sides with the milk and butter mixture. Once moistened, sprinkle approximately ¼ cup of breadcrumbs on top. I typically use breadcrumbs with Italian herbs, but crushed panko breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper and herbs of your choice is also delicious. There is no need to salt and pepper the scallops if you used salted and herbed breadcrumbs, but if you make your own or use panko, be sure to add salt and pepper to taste. Once the breadcrumbs evenly cover the scallops, I dot the tops of the scallops with the remaining butter with attention to spots with extra breadcrumbs, to moisten.

Place the scallops in the pre-heated oven and set your timer. The scallops will take 17 to 20 minutes to bake, depending on the size. As a rule of thumb you’ll know that they are done when you can smell the scallops from outside the oven.

To test, slice the scallop in half the center should be opaque and the knife should cut straight through without any difficulty.

Lemon Pesto Cream Fettuccini

1/2 to 3/4 Cup Pesto Home Made or Store Bought

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Container Fresh Fettuccini ( 9 or 10 oz)

1/3 of an 8oz Package of Cream Cheese

1 Cup Reserved Pasta Water

I love pesto and will make any excuse to use it. The addition of the lemon to the sauce compliments the scallops and lightens up the dish.

Begin by melting the cream cheese with the lemon juice on low temperature in a very large fry pan. I've used cream cheese or neufchatel as a substitute for mascarpone for a while now. It's more accessible and less expensive than it's Italian counterpart.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. I boil fresh pasta from the local market testing every minute after two minutes.

(Yes, I made two containers. Leftovers!)

The nice Italian man behind the counter insists the fettuccini will be done in 2.5 minutes, but, for whatever reason it always takes me just about 7. A good way to test if done is by throwing a ribbon of the pasta at a wall- when it sticks it is done. Crazy, but, true.

Just before the pasta is done, add the pesto to the cream cheese thinning using 1/3 cup water to start, more as needed. The 1/2 cup of pesto should be enough, but add more to taste if you like. I make my own because I find store bought to be too oily. If that's the case with yours, just drain off a little of the excess oil before adding it to the pan. The pasta water can thin the sauce but holds it together with the starch from the pasta. You do not want to overheat the pesto so it does not lose its bright green color.

I reserve the water adding it to the pasta if there are any leftovers. The pasta will absorb some of the liquid as it cools, so the pasta water will refresh the sauce.