White Wine Lemon Scallop Spaghetti
I wasn't planning anything complicated with this one. I just wanted a really good scallop pasta. Seared scallops with spaghetti in a simple white wine, garlic, butter, and lemon sauce, finished with fresh green onion. The combination of the browned scallops, white wine, lemon, and pasta water turned into an incredibly flavorful sauce. This ended up being one of those meals where you want to get every last bit off the plate.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Servings
2
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Ingredients
- 8 oz (225 g) spaghetti
- 10–12 sea scallops, side muscle removed
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Reserved pasta water, as needed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Pat the scallops very dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over high heat. Sear the scallops until deeply browned on one side, 2 minutes, then flip and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits. Reduce by about half.
- Add the remaining butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a splash of pasta water. Whisk into a loose sauce.
- Add the spaghetti and toss until coated.
- Return the scallops to the pan just to warm. Finish with green onion and serve immediately.
Chef’s Notes
Dry scallops and a hot pan are non-negotiable if you want browning instead of steaming. Don't crowd them. The sauce is simple on purpose—wine, butter, lemon, and the fond from the scallops.
Equipment Used
- Large pot
- Large skillet
- Tongs