Lime Capellini with Seared Scallops

I was thrilled to do a cooking demo at the Okanagan Eats Food Show today, and decided to make this lime capellini pasta for the crowd.  It was hard to settle on what to make but I chose this dish as it embraces a lot of what I ‘stand’ for: moderation and balance (among other things).

This pasta is the best of both worlds, filled with healthy oils, zesty lime, zucchini, parsely, and of course, some wine and pasta!   The zucchini noodles add texture and extra nutrition without making the pasta feel ‘too healthy’ (you know what I mean).  I love this dish, and cook it on a regular basis for guests as it takes mere minutes to throw together.  Make sure that all of your ingredients are prepped before you start cooking as it comes together quickly!   It can be served with sautéed prawns or scallops or as a side dish to fish or chicken.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 250g. capellini pasta
• 4 c. spiralized zucchini noodles
• 5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 c. finely diced shallots (1 medium)
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 c. white wine (I used Quail’s Gate Chasselas, Pinot Gris & Pinot Blanc blend)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
• 4 tsp. grated lime rind (from 2 limes)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 c. loosely packed freshly chopped flat leaf parsley
• 12-15 large scallops at room temperature, patted dry
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2/3 c. freshly grated parmesan (plus extra for serving)
• salt & pepper

 

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prep all of your ingredients.
2. In a large heavy bottomed frying pan with tall sides, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots and saute until the shallots are transparent, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the crushed garlic and sauté until transparent and fragrant being careful not to burn the garlic, about 1 minute.
4. Add the white wine to the shallots and garlic, turn the heat up to high, and continue to cook until it’s reduced by half.
5. Add the pasta to the water about 2 minutes after adding the wine.
6. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and season the scallops with a sprinkle of sea salt. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter over medium-high heat along with the clove of smashed garlic to the pan and cook the scallops on each side until golden brown, careful not to overcook the scallops or over-crowd the pan (repeat this step if necessary to cook all of the scallops).
7. Using a set of tongs, add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with the lime juice, lime zest, parsley, salt and grated parmesan and toss gently with tongs (don’t throw out the pasta water). Add the zucchini noodles and toss (the zucchini noodles don’t need much heat to cook, and will cook in the pasta sauce with no additional heat).
8. Toss the pasta, and remove from the heat.  If the pasta gets dry add a bit of the pasta water to it and toss.
9. Plate each bowl, garnish with extra parmesan and parsley, top each dish with 3-4 seared scallops, and serve immediately.