Pan Seared Scallops with Linguine al Pesto

July 17, 2012 by Chef Dennis Littley 33 Comments

pan seared scallops served with linguine alla pesto

My Old Bay Pan Seared Scallops are a wonderful summertime dish. Fresh from the sea, and served with a basil pesto tossed with linguine! Can you say Delicious? I know your family will.

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How to make Old Bay Pan Seared Scallops.

One of the great joys of summer is having an almost endless supply of fresh basil coming from my garden. There is just something so magical about basil and the aroma that just lingers with you……sigh.

Over the years I have used pesto many different ways in a variety of sauces. But I think my favorite use of fresh pesto is to simply toss it with pasta, sprinkle a little grated Romano on it and enjoy the flavors in their purest form. Now that speaks of summer to me, whether I’m picking my own basil, or remembering the days when I got it by the bushel basket……. Fresh basil means summer to me and always will.

The great thing about a simple flavorful pesto is that it goes so well with just about everything, and since it is summer and the scallop boats have been bringing in gorgeous fresh scallops off the Jersey coast, I thought it would be the perfect combination to share with you. To make a new summer memory that we could share, because we are friends, and we are family.

If you’d like to make your own Old Bay seasoning here is a copycat Old Bay Recipe.

If you’ve tried my Pan Seared Scallops or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels, Twitter and Facebook.

You might also like my other pesto recipes.

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5 from 4 votes

Old Bay Pan Seared Scallops with Linguine al Pesto

My Old Bay Pan Seared Scallops are a wonderful summertime dish. Fresh from the sea, and served with a basil pesto tossed with linguine! Can you say Delicious? I know your family will.

Servings:

Calories: 978kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Ingredients

Classical Pesto

2 bunches of Basil
½ bunch of Italian Parsley
¼ cup grated Romano cheese
¼ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
2 cloves of Garlic
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pan Seared Scallops

1 lb fresh sea scallops
1 tsp old bay seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pound linguine

Instructions

Classical Pesto

Remove the leaves from the basil and parsley, do not use the stems
To toast your pine nuts get a pan sauté pan very hot , then turn off the heat, and add your pine nuts. Keep the pine nuts moving around so they toast without burning.
Place them into your food processor, Pulse it until its minced very well.
Now add your garlic, toasted pine nuts, and grated Romano Cheese, pulse to combine
Drizzle in the Olive Oil until it has a nice smooth consistency without looking oily
and Voila you got pesto!!

Linguine

cook linguine per instructions on the box

Scallops

wash and clean your scallops (remove the little piece of side mussel)
pat dry the scallops with paper towels
sprinkle the old bay on both sides of the scallops
get your pan very hot
add enough olive oil to have a light coating in the pan
add the scallops carefully, not over crowding the pan (too many scallops will bring down the temperature of the pan)
most importantly once you place the scallops in the pan, do not move them!
allow the scallop to sear on one side for two minutes, when you turn one scallop you should begin to see a nice caramel color as a light crust forms. If your scallop looks like this continue turning them, if not let them cook a little longer.
after turning the scallop continue cooking, being careful not to over cook them.
a scallop will be just a little translucent in the center when it is done (the scallop will continue to cook after you've removed it from the pan)
look at the scallop from the side to determine if it is done.
the scallop should be a little springy when you push it with your fingers, if it is firm, its overcooked**

Linguine al Pesto

this is a matter of timing, while the scallops are searing, the pasta should just be getting done; you want to toss the linguine with a few large spoonfuls of the pesto (use as much or as little as you like), as soon as you drain it.
place the linguine with the pesto back in the pot, and hold on the back of the stove(off burner) until your scallops are done.
plate pasta and top with scallops, serve immediately!

Notes

** Scallops will get a little rubbery as they sit, its very important to serve them immediately when they are done.

Nutrition

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About Chef Dennis

Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

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