Sea Scallops with Cipollini Onions and Pasta
A wonderful way to enjoy fresh sea scallops. A rich, savory and cheesy sauce with peas and pancetta and tossed in pasta. Wow – this is delicious!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: seafood
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 pound ciplollini onions (pearl onions or boiling onions will also work in this recipe but cooking times will vary)
- 2 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound sea scallops, muscle removed, rinsed and patted dry
- 1/2 pound of dry shell past,a or your favorite pasta of similar pasta thickness
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/4 cups of vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (Kosher if sea salt is not available)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh uncooked peas, about 100-125 fresh pea pods shucked, if sold that way. (See note above if fresh peas aren't available and you need to use frozen peas instead.)
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- Zest from half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Heat a medium pot of water to boil and add onions, skin and all. Cook for three minutes and drain and place in an ice bath. Cut off root end and squeeze from other end to pop out onions. Set aside.
- Heat a large pot of salted water for the pasta.
- Heat a large skillet or sauté pan to medium high and add olive oil and pancetta and cook to crisp. Remove cooked pancetta and set aside.
- Add onions to pan and brown, about four or five minutes. Remove to a dish and set aside.
- Place scallops in pan being careful not to let them touch or overcrowd the pan and sear for about a minute on each side. (No more than three minutes total). Remove to the dish and set aside. (They will not be fully cooked yet)
- Place dry pasta into boiling water and cook to package directions, just slightly underdone.
- While pasta is cooking add garlic to sauté pan and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add wine to pan and scrape up any browned bits from bottom.
- Add stock, browned onions and salt and pepper and cover. Boil covered for about 8-10 minutes or until onions are tender (time varies by size of onion). If liquid evaporates before onions are tender, add more stock or water until they cook through.
- Remove cover and add raw peas and cook for 2 minutes. If using frozen, skip this step and add the peas at the end of the recipe.
- Add all other ingredients including seared scallops and any liquid collected at bottom of dish.
- Add cooked pasta and about half a cup of pasta water to pan. Heat and stir until pasta and scallops are cooked through. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and cooked crisp pancetta over each dish.
Notes
If fresh peas are not available, feel free to use frozen peas but stir them in at end of the recipe as all of the ingredients are combined together (see step #12).
