Description
This elegant Angel Hair with Marinated Tomatoes and Seared Scallops recipe features delicate capellini pasta tossed with sweet, garlicky marinated tomatoes and buttery seared scallops. It’s a light yet satisfying dish perfect for a special dinner or an impressive weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Pasta and Tomato Marinade
- 1 (8.82 oz) bag DeLallo Capellini Angel Hair Nest Pasta
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 3 tablespoons DeLallo extra-virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt, to taste
For the Scallops
- 1 1/2 pounds scallops (about 9 large scallops)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Coarse salt, to taste
Optional Garnish
- Extra chopped parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Marinate the Tomatoes: In a medium bowl, combine the quartered cherry or grape tomatoes with grated garlic, chopped parsley, olive oil, and a pinch of coarse salt. Stir everything together well to coat the tomatoes evenly. Let this mixture marinate at room temperature for at least one hour, or up to all day if time allows, to develop rich, fresh flavors.
- Prepare the Scallops: Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until melted and slightly bubbling. Season the scallops lightly with coarse salt. Place scallops in the hot pan and sear undisturbed for 2 minutes, allowing them to develop a golden crust. Flip them gently using tongs or a spatula and sear for an additional 1 minute until both sides are nicely browned and scallops are cooked through but still tender.
- Cook the Pasta: While scallops cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the angel hair pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente, usually about 3 minutes given the thinness of capellini. Reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water before draining the pasta completely.
- Toss the Pasta: Return the drained pasta to the pot over low heat. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to loosen the noodles and create a silky coating. Gently toss to combine, adding more pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency.
- Assemble and Serve: Divide the tossed pasta onto four plates. Spoon the marinated tomatoes with their liquid evenly over the pasta. Arrange two to three seared scallops on top of each serving. Garnish with extra chopped parsley and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Marinating the tomatoes for several hours greatly enhances the flavor, so plan ahead when possible.
- Use fresh, large dry-packed scallops rather than wet-packed for the best sear and flavor.
- Be careful not to overcook the scallops; they should be opaque but tender inside.
- Reserve enough pasta water to adjust the sauce consistency—you want the pasta lightly coated but not swimming.
- You can substitute parsley with fresh basil or oregano for a different flavor profile.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Seared, Boiled, Marinated
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate (approx. 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
Keywords: angel hair pasta, marinated tomatoes, seared scallops, light seafood pasta, Italian dinner recipe, capellini with scallops
