Boil a pot of salted water.
Heat a skillet (cast iron if you have it. Don’t use non-stick) to smoking. When the water is boiling, the skillet should be hot enough.
Heat about four Tablespoons of Newman’s Own Alfredo sauce in a small sauce pan, being careful not to boil it.
Pat down about a 1/2 pound to a pound of sea scallops (a pound is about ten scallops) with a paper towel — five each for a dinner for two.
Toss a handful or two of Al Dente Spinach Fettuccine into the boiling pot. You have three minutes until it is ready.
Spray a bit of cooking spray into the pan (turn on your stovetop vent). Pan sear the scallops, turning once, until both sides are nicely browned. Sprinkle with lemon juice and a bit of salt and pepper.
Drain and toss the cooked fettuccine in the heated alfredo sauce. Mound the pasta in the middle of a wide-lipped bowl. Grind fresh cracked pepper over the pasta. Add a half a cheery tomato or a peeled lobster claw or a 1/2 teaspoon of red “caviar” to the top of the pasta. (This gives you the colours of the Italian flag, that’s all.)
Arrange the sea scallops around the outside of the pile of pasta.
Serve with a buttery Chardonnay or a dry rosé and a green salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
This sounds delicious; you must have a very happy family! What a great last-minute spring menu for an impromptu dinner party.
It is a quick and delicious recipe thanks! There are some nights that leave little time for preparation. Alas, only Mrs. E. approves of my cooking. The children have a very …. limited … diet.
Oh, my. This sounds lovely. Hmm. The children are looking at me right now, full of recrimination because we’ve reached half-way into the evening with no dinner yet forthcoming. I wonder if they’d accept a run to the store for scallops first. Probably not. Tomorrow, then. Definitely.
Really? Cheese Sauce (from a jar) and Shellfish? Sorry, Mr.E these are not two great tastes that taste together.
Herr Doktor,
Try it, you might be surprised. The trick is little sauce.
And the fact that the scallops are not sauced. They are on the side….
Do you have any suggestion for irradicating fishy odors after one prepares seafood? I love fish but get the evil eye and the pinched nose whenever I prepare fish –
Candles burning, kitchen doors closed….cold water to clean….I have tried all the old wives tails. Do tell?
pve
pve says:
March 23, 2011 at 10:25 pm
May I suggest a small pot of water with Rosemary, Sage, Cinnamon, Lemon and Sugar. Herbs must be fresh. Slowly boil, then simmer and run the exhaust fan over the stove. At the hardware store a product called ‘Oderz Away’ works quite well also.
I bake fish (haddock, cod, flounder, turbot, or pollock, either fresh or previously frozen) in the oven & I’ve never had a problem with its odor. My guess is that the odor might be a problem if one were frying fish that had already started to go bad.
Mrs. PvE, I don’t typically have too much of a problem. I do clean the cutting boards with lemon juice and try to keep the screen door ajar. But the day after frying, a candle seems to do the trick. I’ll also clean the stove with a vinegar based cleanser.
Herr Docktor, I’ve been thinking that you could sauce the pasta with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes, too. What would be your suggestion?
TheElegantologist
Now you’re talking! That’s why I like the cut of your jib.
@pve: divorce
ignorance, a small price to pay. Mrs. PvE is one of the lucky ones to have found the Mr. and have had the triple scoops.