Squid Ink Pasta with Scallops, Tomatoes and Basil

Last weekend I went camping in Joshua Tree. It was an amazing amazing experience but by the time I got home I was ready to leave my Lara Bar/Apple/Hummus meals behind me and make some nice pasta. I picked up this squid ink pasta from Trader Joe’s a while back and hadn’t had the chance to try it yet. I’ve always like squid ink pasta, it’s super popular in Southern Italian cuisine, especially when it’s a seafood pasta. I worked at the Fish Shop during the day so I brought home these beautiful scallops :). Maybe I’m biased but I think they’re the bessssst. These roasted tomatoes are also a new Trader Joe’s item that are bomb.com.

{serves 2}

  • 6 BIG scallops
  • 1 pack squid ink pasta
  • 10 fresh cherry tomatoes
  • 10 roasted dried tomatoes (in oil)
  • 1 big handful fresh basil
  • 3 tbsp (roughly) olive oil
  • 1 pat butter
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • a splash of white wine (optional)
  1. boil water and cook pasta according to instructions
  2. gently clean scallops with a wet paper towel
  3. heat 1.5 tbsp olive oil and butter in a pan over low heat, allow the butter to start to brown, add nutmeg
  4. add scallops gently (tongs are great for this)
  5. let scallops cook on each side for about 2 minutes then flip them, they should be just starting to get some color on the bottom
  6. when they start to stick to the pan add a splash of wine to deglaze the pan
  7. when they are pure white and just starting to brown remove them from the pan, set them on a plate in the oven to keep warm
  8. strain pasta then add it back to the pasta bowl, drizzle with remaining olive oil, halve tomatoes and add them to the pasta
  9. serve pasta and top with three scallops each, drizzle with sauce from the scallop pan
  10. slice basil and use it to garnish, parmesan and red pepper flakes optional!

© 2018, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Spring Pasta with Scallops, Asparagus and Blood Orange

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I went home for spring break last week but we were only in San Diego for 4 nights so my mom and I had to plan our menus strategically. Two nights were already taken care of because fish tacos and Cardiff Crack go without saying. Some of my favorite things that I am usually too cheap to buy while I’m at school are scallops and lamb. They both also happen to lend themselves well to spring-y dishes so those took care of our other two nights.

links to the other spring recipes: Slow Cooker Lamb with Chick Peas and Grilled Eggplant, Cabbage-Beet Tahini Slaw, Chard with Anchovy Tomato Dressing

  • 1 box fussili pasta
  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • 1 blood orange (for juice and zest)
  • bay scallops
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 1 shallot
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • sprinkle truffle salt
  • 2 handfuls little yellow tomatoes
  • 4 pats butter
  • 1 handful baby kale
  • 3 sprigs basil
  • 2 cups peas (preferably fresh)
  • splash of dry white wine (plus another bottle for drinking while cooking)
  • Parmesan
  1. in a non-stick skillet melt butter over medium low heat with 1 tbsp olive oil
  2. slice shallot and add to pan, cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally until opaque, then remove from pan
  3. line a pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and put tomatoes on it, drizzle them with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with truffle salt, bake at 350°F until blistered (15 minutes-ish)
  4. slice asparagus in 1 inch pieces and remove peas from shells if necessary
  5. boil water and prepare an ice bath, cook them in the boiling water for 2 minutes, then transfer them to the ice bath as fast as possible
  6. drain those guys and put them in a large mixing bowl, zest and juice the blood orange into said bowl
  7. wash kale and basil and slice them, add to the bowl, add capers
  8. cook pasta according to isntructions
  9. add the remaining 2 pats butter and the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the shallot pan over medium high heat
  10. add the scallops carefully
  11. when they start turned brown on the cook-side flip them over, with tongs slide them along the bottom of the pan to absorb the toasted butter flavor
  12. continue cooking until opaque throughout then add them into the bowl with all the other items
  13. add a splash of white wine to the scallop pan to deglaze it and transfer that sauce to the bowl with all of the other items then add all that good stuff to the drained pasta

We had grilled shrimp on the side because grilled shrimp goes with everything.

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

Squid, Shrimps and Clams with Parsley-Lemon Sauce

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I love shell fish but it’s kind of a luxury for this college budget thing. Luckily Trader Joe’s has affordable frozen bags of good-quality shell fish to satisfy my needs. I threw together this light meal for some of my friends one night after class and it was a nice change from the normal proteins.

  • 1  pack frozen shell fish from Trader Joe’s (thawed)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1 bunch parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • generous amounts black pepper
  • sprinkle of sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  1. mince garlic and heat olive oil in a sauce pan
  2. add garlic to the pan
  3. once garlic turns opaque, add shell fish
  4. cook over medium-low heat, add paprika, black pepper and salt
  5. meanwhile, blend lemon juice, parsley and other tbsp olive oil in a food processor
  6. take shell fish off heat once they’ve turned white
  7. you can either stir the parsley-lemon sauce into the seafood mix or serve it on the side

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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