Total Time
25 minutes
Citrus and fennel make a great pair; the former’s brightness and and latter’s subtle anise notes play nicely together in salads, sauces, and an inspiring scallop crudo at LaRina in Brooklyn, the creative impetus for this dish. Here, this dynamic duo teams up to flavor a pan of tiny pasta with seared scallops and lots of butter. While the lemon slices (which go soft in the sauce) can be cut by hand, then fennel is best when paper-thin. This is the place for a mandoline if you have one.
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What you’ll need
Mandoline
$57 $54 At Amazon
Large Pot
$55 $48 At Amazon
4-Cup Measuring Cup
$10 At Amazon
Large Skillet
$74 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Ingredients
4 servings
12
12
3
8
1
¼
3
1
½
Preparation
Step 1
Cook 12 oz. small pasta (such as ditalini) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid.
Step 2
Meanwhile, season 12 sea scallops (about 1 lb.), patted dry, with kosher salt. Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over high. Cook scallops until well browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn scallops over; cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and arrange browned side up.
Step 3
Melt 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter in same pan over medium heat. Add 1 lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed, and ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until lemon slices are softened, about 2 minutes. Add 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and 1 Tbsp. fish sauce and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, until mixture is loosened and combined, about 30 seconds.
Step 4
Gradually stream in ¾ cup pasta cooking liquid, stirring constantly, and cook, still stirring, until homogenous, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter; cook, stirring, until combined (it should be loose but glossy). Remove sauce from heat and season with salt.
Step 5
Add pasta and ½ large head of fennel, cored, shaved with a mandoline or thinly sliced; toss to coat. Divide among shallow bowls and set scallops, browned side up, on top. Scatter fennel fronds over and sprinkle with black pepper and red pepper flakes.
How would you rate Citrus-Butter Scallops With Tiny Pasta?
Leave a Review
Reviews (1)
Back to TopDelicious and easy to make. With prep and the multiple steps it took about an hour. Very pleased with the results following the recipe. Make sure you know how to code and prep the fennel before you start. The tiny ditali worked great, for this. Try it you’ll enjoy !
Lawrence
Oakville Ontario
11/5/2023
Because my wife doesn't like scallops, I used 5 shrimp per portion instead. If I make this dish again, I'll use 6 shrimp. Also, instead of 1/2 of a large head of fennel, I used 1 small head. Finally, I couldn't find any small pasta, so I wound up using cavatelli. I think they were too large for the dish. Next time, I'll use some small macaroni or small shells instead. Nevertheless, the flavors were good, and I found the dish easy to make. I agree with the note that "This is the place for a mandoline if you have one." Fortunately, I have one. :-)
Anonymous
Annandale, VA
10/30/2023
I agree with other reviewers. Deglazing the pan would have made a difference. That much butter really wasn’t necessary. The dish lacked color. I think parsley would’ve been nice on top. It was just OK. I probably would not make again.
B&G michigan
Michigan
9/27/2023
Scallops were perfection!! The whole lemon was very bitter, I would have changed it out for zest. Also, some deglazing with white wine might have been a good choice.
Anonymous
Houston, Texas
9/25/2023
DULL. It is browned scallops atop noodles with a cloying amount of butter and lemon juice throw in. None of it really comes together, and there are hundreds of better recipes to showcase expensive scallops. Skip this one.
James NYC
New York City
9/22/2023