A bowl filled with spaghetti with scallops.

5 / 3 votes

Spaghetti with Scallops

The dish is really just scallops sautéed with garlic and parsley, but what makes it special are the bread crumbs, which soak up the scallop flavor and cling to the pasta. My mother always used bay scallops, but it’s easier to find good sea scallops and I’ve discovered I prefer them here.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 707

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound sea scallops*, side muscle removed and patted dry
▢ 2 medium garlic cloves
▢ 6 to 7 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
▢ Kosher salt
▢ 1 pound spaghetti, or your favorite long pasta
▢ 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
▢ 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
▢ 2 tablespoons bread crumbs

US - Metric

Instructions

Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
Cut 3/4 of the scallops into 1/2-inch (12-mm) dice. Finely chop the remaining scallops.
Peel and finely chop the garlic. Finely chop enough parsley to measure about 2 tablespoons.
When the water for the pasta is boiling, add about 2 tablespoons salt, and stir in the spaghetti until all the strands are submerged. Cook, according to package directions, until al dente.
In a 12-inch (30-cm) skillet over medium-high heat, combine the garlic, parsley, hot red pepper flakes, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. When the garlic is sizzling, add the diced scallops. Raise the heat to high, season with salt, and cook until they have lost their translucent color, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the finely chopped scallops; season them with salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. The bottom of the pan at this point may have some browned cooking residue. Add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water to loosen those tasty bits from the bottom of the pan, then remove from the heat. (If there is no browning at the bottom of the pan, don’t worry about it and don’t add any pasta water).
When the pasta is done, drain well and toss with the scallops. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the breadcrumbs, toss again, and serve immediately.

Notes

*What is the difference between sea and bay scallops?

Guiliano Hazan points out that in his mother's version of the recipe, she uses bay scallops but he prefers sea scallops. So what's the difference? The biggest difference is size—sea scallops are nearly 3 times larger. Sea scallops are also mostly farm-raised whereas bay scallops are only found in bays and harbors on the east coast. Sea scallops are the ones that you generally get in restaurants, seared or grilled. Bay scallops are smaller, more tender, sweeter and used in chowders, stews, and casseroles.

Nutrition