Sautéed Scallops with Fresh Tomato Sauce

If you don’t want to take fish oil, how about eating some fish? Although, I’m not really sure scallops are fish. Actually, pretty sure they’re not. But they’re from the sea so close enough, right? Right.

Anyway…I don’t know about you, but in the summer, nothing really sounds good. It’s too dang hot. And I can only eat so many salads. But you know what does sound good lately? Seafood. With an easy, light sauce.

Enter sautéed scallops. This was my first time cooking scallops but after a little research on how to cook them, I was off and cooking. And this dish is a keeper. Scallops are as easy to cook as shrimp and a nice change.

Sautéed Scallops with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Serves 1 hungry blogger

• 1 T salt
• 2 oz whole wheat spaghetti (enough for one serving)
• 1 T olive oil
• 8-10 scallops (or however many you want)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• ½ pint grape tomatoes, sliced in a half
• 1/4 c torn, fresh basil (or less, to taste….I like a lot of basil!)
• Salt, pepper, parmesan, parsley, basil and/or olive oil to top

1. Add the salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until just al dente. It should still have a bit of a bite to it. When the spaghetti is done cooking, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before you drain it.
2. While the spaghetti cooks, heat 1 ½ teaspoons of the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add the scallops and cook until browned and crispy (4-5 minutes on each side). Don’t turn back and forth – just let cook on one side until browned, then flip to the other. Once browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Without cleaning skillet, add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute or until fragrant. Then, add the tomatoes and 3 T of the reserved pasta water. Let cook for 5-10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down and a sauce begins to form. If it starts to look dry at all, add more pasta water.
4. Add the cooked spaghetti to the skillet, with another 2 T of pasta water and toss to combine the pasta with the tomato sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally. If it looks dry, add more pasta water.
5. Add the scallops back to the skillet and cook until warmed through and just cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the scallops or they’ll be rubbery. Just make sure they aren’t translucent and you’re good to go!
6. Remove to a serving dish and top with salt, pepper, fresh basil or parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil on top. Serve immediately.

What’s your go-to it’s-hot-as-hellllll summer dish?