Seared Scallop Cavatappi in Creamy White Wine Sauce

Rating

No votes yet

Active time

10 minutes

Total time

20 minutes

Yield

4 servings

Ingredients

4 ounces Cavatappi (whole grain preferred)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound fennel white part only, thinly sliced

20 “dry” sea scallops (Note: ’Dry’ refers to how the scallops were harvested and packed)

¼ cup ﬁnely chopped shallots

½ cup white wine

¼ cup cream

3 tablespoons ﬁnely chopped dill

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the cavatappi according to package directions. Drain and reserve.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the fennel and season with salt and pepper. Cook, allowing the fennel to caramelize on one side, about 3 minutes before ﬂipping and doing the same on the second side. It should be caramelized on the outside and soft on the inside when pierced with a knife. Remove from pan.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Increase heat to high. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Place them in the pan in a single layer. If they don’t ﬁt, do them in 2 batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Allow scallops to brown on one side (about 1 minute) then ﬂip and brown the second side. Remove from pan.
Add the shallots to the pan and cook until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Cook down just to take away the raw alcoholic ﬂavor (about 1 minute). Add the cream and cook another minute. Stir in the dill. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the pasta and fennel to heat through.
For each serving, divide the pasta between 4 bowls. Place 5 scallops on each plate.

Recipe and Photo courtesy of National Pasta Association