Pasta dishes are
a favorite of fancy restaurants because they’re cheap, quick to make, and they
somehow get away with overcharging for them. I say: why not just make it at
home? It’s pretty easy if you have a solid recipe and doing it at home gives you
complete control over what’s in it. Take this dish.
Seafood Pasta is
a classic that is crazy expensive in restaurants, so why pay for it? With a few
clever tricks and thirty minutes you can put something on the table that’s
delicious and a great dish to impress a date with because it looks, smells and
tastes fancy.
Here’s How You Do It
Difficulty
Level: Medium
Cook
time: 20-30 Minutes
Serves
2 to 4 Depending on appetites
Ingredients
1 Bag of Frozen Shrimp (peeled and
de-veined) and Scallops containing about 40 total - Thawed – Frozen is cheaper and tastes great if
done right – I’ll show you how, don’t worry
1 Bag or Box of your favorite Pasta – I used penne for this recipe, but
linguine works great too
1 ¾ Cups Full Fat Milk
¼ Cup + 1 Teaspoon of Dry White Wine,
divided – Whatever’s
cheap
1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon of Butter,
divided
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon of Canola Oil or any other oil
that can withstand high heat
3 Cloves of Garlic, finely minced
1 ½ Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
Salt and Pepper – to taste
A pinch of chili flakes – Optional
A pinch of Smoked Paprika - Optional
1 Tablespoon of Chopped, Fresh Herbs – I used Basil and Parsley, but Dill would
work great too
Equipment
Measuring Cups and Spoons
1 Knife and Cutting Board
1 Frying Pan
2 Small Bowls
1 Large Bowl
1 Pot and Strainer – To boil your pasta
1 Pair of Tongs
1 Whisk
1 Wooden spoon
Fill a pot with
water and put it on high heat to start your pasta. Once the water is boiling,
season generously with salt and add your pasta of choice, stirring with tongs to
separate them. Once at the desired doneness, drain in a strainer WITHOUT
rinsing and set aside. I just leave it in the strainer in the sink until I’m
ready to use it.
Separate your
shrimps and scallops into 2 small bowls and season liberally with salt, pepper,
and chili if you like em. A common mistake with seafood is thinking they call
be cooked the same way. Doing it that way results in overcooked, rubbery shrimp
and scallops. Cooking them separately ensures perfect doneness.
Heat your frying
pan on high heat and add a teaspoon of Canola oil. Add the scallops and cook them on
high for a no more than a minute or until brown and caramelized on one side. Dump
them in the big bowl. They’ll cook the rest of the way when added to the cream
sauce.
Turn off the
heat and in the same frying pan add 1 Teaspoon of Butter. Turn the heat to
medium high and add the shrimp, garlic, and a teaspoon of White Wine. The
SECOND the shrimp are pink, dump them in the same bowl with the scallops.
In the same
frying pan you cooked the seafood in, melt a Tablespoon of butter and Olive Oil
together on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the top and whisk to combine.
Cook until it turns light brown.
Slowly add the
milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the rest of the white wine and the
remaining minced garlic, smoked paprika if using, and keep whisking. Simmer until the sauce has thickened. Taste and season for salt and pepper.
Switch to a
wooden spoon and stir in the seafood and any juices from the bowl they were
kept in. Add the pasta and cook for a minute so everything has a chance to
merge. Add the fresh herbs and toss with your tongs.
Serve and Enjoy!
-Samantha R. Gold
Questions? Comments? Requests?
Bring it on!
I can be reached at: for.the.culinarily.challenged@gmail.com
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