Bow Tie Pasta with Blackened Scallops
Submitted by BobbyJean
Cajun-blackened sea scallops over farfalle tossed in cilantro walnut pesto, drizzled with roasted red pepper sauce. A showstopper seafood pasta with bold layered flavors.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minThis dish has three homemade sauces and it’s worth every single one.
Fat sea scallops get dusted in Cajun blackening spice and seared until they’ve got that signature dark, spicy crust.
They sit on a bed of bow tie pasta coated in a bright cilantro-walnut pesto, then get drizzled with a silky roasted red pepper sauce spiked with sherry vinegar and basil.
Every forkful delivers heat from the blackening, freshness from the cilantro, and sweet smokiness from the peppers.
Chef Tips
- Get your pan screaming hot before adding the scallops for a proper blackened crust without overcooking the center
- Pat scallops completely dry before seasoning so the spice coating sticks and sears instead of steaming
- The cilantro pesto and pepper sauce can both be made ahead and kept in the fridge
- Seafood bouillon cubes dissolved in water make a quick stock if you don’t have homemade on hand
Ingredients
Directions
Note: Seafood Stock can be made from fish-flavored bouillon cubes, available in most supermarkets.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
In the meantime, make the pepper sauce.
Put the roasted peppers, shallots, garlic and vinegar in a blender and purée until smooth.
Add ½ cup of the seafood stock and the basil and mix until blended.
Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan, cover, and warm over the lowest heat setting.
For the cilantro pesto, put the walnuts, garlic and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor.
Turn the machine on and add 1 tablespoon of the seafood stock through the feed tube.
Drizzle in the lemon juice to form a paste.
Transfer the contents of the food processor to a small mixing bowl and whisk in another 3 tablespoons of the stock.
When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta to the pot.
Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, to desired tenderness.
Drain.
Dust the scallops with the blackening seasoning, paprika and thyme.
Heat a heavy frying pan for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat.
Spray the pan with vegetable oil.
Add the prepared scallops and sear them for 2 minutes on each side.
Reduce the heat to low and squeeze the lemon over the scallops.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the scallops are firm.
Return the drained pasta to the pot.
Over low heat stir in the cilantro pesto.
Divide the pasta among 4 bowls.
Place 4 scallops on top of each and pour the pepper sauce over the scallops.
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