Ah, Scallop Spaghetti 🥂🍝—a luxurious yet simple pasta dish featuring tender seared scallops tossed with spaghetti in a buttery, garlicky, and sometimes creamy sauce. Perfect for a special dinner or date night!
Scallop Spaghetti
Servings: 2–3
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15–20 min
Ingredients
- 8–12 large sea scallops, cleaned and patted dry
- 200 g (7 oz) spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken/vegetable broth)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional for creamy version)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Optional: red pepper flakes for a little heat
Instructions
- Cook pasta
- Boil spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
- Sear scallops
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season scallops with salt and pepper.
- Sear scallops 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown and opaque in the center. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Make the sauce
- In the same pan, add butter and garlic. Sauté 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in white wine and lemon juice, simmer 2–3 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Optional: stir in heavy cream for a richer sauce.
- Combine pasta and scallops
- Toss cooked spaghetti into the sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed for consistency.
- Gently fold in scallops.
- Finish & serve
- Sprinkle lemon zest, chopped parsley, and optional red pepper flakes.
- Serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan if desired.
🔥 Tips
- Pat scallops dry—this ensures a golden sear.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan when searing scallops; do it in batches if needed.
- Use fresh lemon juice for brightness.
- Can add cherry tomatoes or spinach for extra flavor and color.
I can also give a garlic butter scallop spaghetti recipe that’s even more indulgent and restaurant-style.
Do you want the garlic butter version?
