La Vuelta España - Stage 2: Cascais to Ourém.
I can’t believe it’s been nearly a month since my last blog post. While I was able to get away for a vacation, it was unfortunately marred when we had to prematurely say goodbye to our dog, Duke. He was not even 7 years old yet. But, his liver and kidneys unexpectedly shut down. It was a pretty sad ride home without him and even though he would always get in my way in the kitchen, it’s been tough cooking without him being my shadow, desperately awaiting me to toss him a little snack.
On a brighter note, La Vuelta has begun! The race started yesterday with a time trial in Lisbon and continues today in the seaside resort town of Cascais. This town was originally a fishing village, but turned into a spot for R&R in the early 1900s. I decided to make some deliciously seared scallops on some briny and earthy squid ink pasta with a white port sauce. This meal comes together very quickly, so you need to have all of your ingredients prepared before you start cooking. Further below, you can also get my recipe for a refreshing port spritzer. This is a perfect summer lunch or evening meal.
Seared Scallops with Squid Ink Pasta
This meal serves two. If you double it up, you’ll need to cook the scallops in batches. You can set the first set of seared scallops, on a baking sheet in a warm oven, to hold them.
½ lb dried squid ink pasta
8 scallops, small rectangular tendon removed
Flaky sea salt & fine sea salt and black pepper
Vegetable oil and 2 tbsp butter
⅓ cup of white port
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
Heavy pinch of parsley leaves, minced
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare and measure out the remaining ingredients, including seasoning the scallops with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Aggressively season the water with fine sea salt and return to a boil. Meanwhile, place a 12” stainless steel skillet over a burner set to medium-high heat.
Drop the pasta in the water and stir for about a minute to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick together. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so until al dente.
Add about 1.5 tbsp of oil to the skillet to ensure it just coats the cooking surface. Place the scallops down and sear for 3 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
After 3 minutes of searing, flip the scallops using tongs, add the butter to the skillet and continue to sear another 90-120 seconds, until lightly browned, rotating the pan halfway through and spooning the butter over the scallops.
Remove the scallops and place on a clean surface until ready to plate.
Once the scallops have been cooked, pour out most of the oil/butter mixture from the skillet, leaving only a couple teaspoons, and return to the burner. Carefully add in the port (if you have a gas range there will likely be a huge flare-up for 10 seconds). Once the flames subside, add in the lemon juice, garlic, and most of the parsley. Cook, shaking the skillet for about 30 seconds.
At this time, the pasta should be ready. Drain and add it to the skillet, along with a ladleful of the cooking water. Toss the pasta in the sauce, adding a little more water, if necessary. Once most of the cooking water has evaporated, turn off the heat and plate the pasta. The pasta should be just coated with the sauce.
Top the pasta with the cooked scallops, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve.
White Port Spritzer
3 oz white port
Splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 oz tonic water
3 mint leaves
Lemon zest
Fill a glass with ice.
Add the port, lemon juice, and tonic water.
Slap the mint leaves in your palm and add to the glass.
Give a light stir and garnish with a mint sprig and a ~2” slice of lemon zest.
______________________________ Copyright 2024, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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