Best Scallops And Pasta Salad Recipes

SAVORY SEA SCALLOPS AND ANGEL HAIR PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the angel hair pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant and softened, about 1 minute. Slice any scallops over 3/4-inch thick in half so they'll cook evenly; stir scallops, basil, and parsley into the skillet. Cook and gently stir just until scallops feel slightly firm when pressed with a finger, 2 to 3 minutes. Scallops will become tough and chewy if overcooked. Stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and black pepper. Pour in cream if you like a thicker sauce. Bring the mixture just to a bare simmer.
• Serve over hot angel hair pasta; sprinkle to taste with Parmesan cheese.

SEARED SCALLOP PASTA WITH BURST TOMATOES AND HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water (2 heaping tablespoons kosher salt to about 7 quarts water) to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
• Wipe out the pot and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium. Add the shallots and cook until they begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to burst, 5 to 7 minutes. Add about 1/3 cup reserved pasta water, and press the tomatoes gently with the back of a spatula or wooden spoon to get them nice and jammy. Stir in the garlic and red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook, allowing the sauce to simmer, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Season the scallops well on both sides with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over high. When the oil shimmers, add the scallops, working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, and cook until golden brown and crisp, flipping once, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Add the pasta, 1 1/2 cups herbs and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the pot with the tomatoes and toss to coat, adding additional pasta water if needed. Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and top with scallops. Garnish with additional herbs and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

SCALLOPS AND SPINACH OVER PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• In a medium skillet, saute spinach in olive oil until heated through. Add lemon juice, garlic powder and water.
• Add scallops and cook for 3 minutes or until done. Be careful not to overcook. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place strained spaghetti in dish and place the scallops and sauce on top. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

BASIL PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS OVER PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, rinse, and transfer to a large serving bowl.
• Meanwhile, place scallops in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper. Pour mixture over scallops. Arrange scallops in a single layer in a large baking dish or plate. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon dried basil over scallops so that only one side is sparsely coated with basil.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high, and melt one tablespoon of butter in the pan. Place 12 scallops basil-side down, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until dark golden brown. Turn scallops, and cook the other side. Cook the remaining 12 scallops the same way.
• In a small saucepan, melt remaining butter with 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon basil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Toss pasta with butter and olive oil mixture. Divide pasta onto plates, and top with scallops.

SCALLOPS AND PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• For Dressing:
• In a small bowl stir together the orange peel, orange juice, vinegar, pectin, and sugar until smooth.
• Cover and chill at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain.
• Rinse with cold water; drain again.
• Meanwhile, thaw scallops, if frozen.
• Cut any large scallops in half.
• Bring water to boiling; add scallops.
• Return to boiling.
• Simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 3 minutes or until scallops are opaque.
• Drain.
• Rinse under cold running water.
• For salad, in a large bowl toss together cooked macaroni, cooked scallops, spinach, peas, onion, celery, and sweet pepper.
• Stir dressing; pour over salad.
• Toss to coat.
• Makes five 2-cup servings.

SWEET CORN AND SCALLOP PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high. Season scallops with salt and pepper and add to skillet in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until golden underneath, about 2 minutes. Flip scallops and cook until golden on second side, 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a cutting board to cool.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, corn and scallions to the skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice and stir to lift up any browned bits on bottom of pan.
• While the corn cooks, chop the cooled scallops into 1/2-inch pieces. Return pasta, 1/2 cup of the pasta water, corn mixture, scallops and butter to the large pot and heat over medium. Cook, stirring vigorously, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheese and basil, and season with salt and pepper. (Add more pasta water if a thinner sauce is desired.)
• Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with more basil. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired.