Sea scallops and asparagus

2010-4-1

Sea Scallops over Pasta, with Asparagus

For those who are used to quick and easy meals, in this quick, heat-up sort of world, this is not a super easy recipe. I cooked the sauce, the pasta, and the asparagus separately.

Ingredients:

• sea scallops, 1 lb.
• roughly 1/2 box of 16 oz of rotini
• 1 bundle of asparagus, halfed
• 1/2 red onion, cut super thin and then into thirds
• olive oil
• sea salt
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 14 oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp of rice vinegar
• 1 tsp of soy sauce
• chicken broth

Cooking Instructions:

Pasta

No magical instructions here, except I cooked it to al dente, perhaps just a bit softer. Then I rinsed it with warm water, drained it, and sent it aside.

Asparagus

I used the same pan to cook the asparagus and the scallops, and I didn't wash the pan in between cooking the two.

I caramelized (without using sugar) the onion using a bit of olive oil.

Remove most of the caramelized onion, add just a touch of olive oil, and cook the asparagus. Add some sea salt to taste. Once the asparagus is cooked, set it aside.


Sea Scallops

Add the caramelized onion back to the pan and add just a little more olive oil. I seared the scallops. On medium heat, I added the sea scallops, cooking them no more than a few minutes on each side.

Pasta Sauce

I made my own concoction. The last time I made my own sauce, it was a bit acidic, so I toned down the rice vinegar. Absolutely loved it. Combine 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, 14 oz (ish - I don't have the can anymore) of tomato sauce, a bit of chicken broth, 1 tsp of Worcestershire, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, a little sea salt, some of the caramelized onion.

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Serve the pasta sauce over the pasta and scallops, and a bit over the asparagus, if you like.

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Regarding the scallops, I love it seared, but I don't like it browned. Personal preference. Also, it's super easy to overcook the scallops - don't do it, over you'll end up chewing on rubbery yuck.