We have a boatload of scallops in our house. Because, why not? It's scallop season. So, sometime a couple of days ago I realized that scallops would go amazingly with carbonara. Sealing the fate of recreating this recipe, I realized that I had all the ingredients but two; bacon and pasta. No big deal. It's not like some recipes when you realize that you don't have saffron, asafoetida powder, and dragon tears.
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| Ingredients: bacon, eggs, pasta, scallops, peas, cheese, butter, salt, pepper, & oil. | | |
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I got my carbonara going by cooking the noodles. They were going to take the longest and required the least amount of attention. Don't forget to salt the water! I heated up all of the peas because we eat a lot of peas in our house and even though I wasn't going to use them all in the recipe I knew they would eventually get eaten. Then I prepared the pan for the scallops. I use extra virgin olive oil most of the time. It's just a good all-around olive oil. It's smoking point is a little bit lower than other olive oils but to increase the smoking point just add a little bit of butter. The oil of choice this time?
Cinque Terre's extra virgin olive oil. We bought some last time we were there. What can I say? I'm a sucker for bottled lipids and sauces.
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| The evoo from Cinque Terre is very light. Good for cooking and dressings. |
While the oil heated up for the scallops I threw the bacon in a pan. I cut it up into cubes before I threw it in the pan because that's how I wanted it in my pasta.
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And the scallops...
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| Sure scallops are from the salty sea but you should still salt them. Salt does not create flavor it enhances it. And add a little pepper too. |
Scallops do not take very long to cook at all. So as the pasta was boiling and the bacon was sizzling I seared them on both sides. Maybe a minute or two on each side?
Time to get the sauce ready. I used two eggs. If you're making less, then use less. I cracked one egg at a time into a small glass bowl. You should always do this because if you crack an egg and a shell gets into the mix it's a pain in the ass to get out. One egg a time is manageable for shell removal. Then I poured the eggs in a plastic bowl to whisk. I whisked my eggs in a plastic bowl (BPa free,
obvi) because I have an irrational fear of breaking glass with a fork and then eating it. No judgement. I added about a cup of Parmesan cheese to the egg mixture and mixed together.
About this time the pasta was fishing up so I took a ladle of the pasta water to add to the whisked egg. I poured the water into the small glass bowl because it was easier to pour into the plastic bowl-- because you have to TEMPER THE EGGS. If you just pour the hot water into the egg mixture the eggs will scramble. So, I used about a cup of the pasta water, whisked quickly, poured slowly. Boom.
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| Pasta water has a lot of flavor and is a great thickening agent for pasta sauces. |
Time to assemble! Add egg mixture to pasta. Toss to coat. Bacon. About 1 cup of peas. Toss. Scallops. And... scene.
The perfect bite...
Gluten free? Skip the pasta and use the scallops as your vessel. Who needs all those boring carbs taking up yummy scallop space anyway?
