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Lime Capellini with Seared Scallops

This lime capellini is the best of both worlds! Filled with healthy olive oil, zesty lime, zucchini and of course, pasta and wine! You can double the pasta and skip the zucchini noodles if you wish.

Course Dinner
Keyword Lime, Pasta, Seafood
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Pasta

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely diced shallots (1 medium)
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup dry white wine ( I used Sandhill Pinot Gris)
  • 250 grams capellini pasta*
  • 4 cups spiralized zucchini noodles*
  • 4 teaspoons grated lime zest (from 2 limes)
  • 2-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
  • 1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (loosely packed)
  • 2/3 cup freshly grated parmesan (plus extra for serving)
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Scallops

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12-15 large scallops, patted dry
  • 1 large clove garlic, smashed**
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Pasta

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prep all of your ingredients: this dish comes together quickly so have them stove-side.

  2. In a large heavy bottomed frying pan, heat the 3 tablespoons of 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. Add the white wine and continue to cook until it’s reduced by half.

  4. While the sauce reduces, add the pasta to the water and sear the scallops (see below): don’t throw out your pasta water.

  5. Once the wine has reduced, add the zucchini noodles to the garlic wine pan and toss. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with the lime juice, lime zest, parsley and grated parmesan and toss gently with tongs, adding pasta water to loosen the pasta as needed. Season with salt and pepper and serve topped with the seared scallops, parsley and extra parmesan.

For the Scallops

  1. Heat a separate large frying pan over medium-high heat and season the scallops with a sprinkle of salt.

  2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter over medium-high heat along with the smashed garlic clove to the pan and once the butter has melted, cook the scallops on each side until golden brown. Be careful not to overcook the scallops or over-crowd the pan (repeat this step if necessary to cook all of the scallops). Place the scallops on top of the finished pasta and serve!

Recipe Notes

*you can double the pasta and skip the zucchini noodles if desired

**to smash a garlic clove simply place the flat side of the blade of a chef's knife on top of the clove and push down with the heel of your hand