Des

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Scallop Piccata

After the cocktail, the tapenade and the salad, the next step in this at home Valentine’s day menu is the main course. Like any good celebration meal entree this dish is a show stopper. A pièce de résistance if you will.  It’s caper-y and buttery. It’s light yet indulgent. It’s quick to prepare with your sweetie and perhaps the best part of all it’s pasta. What does that mean you ask? Well it means that you can share it Lady and the Tramp style, kisses and all.

When the first visions of this Valentine’s menu began dancing around in my head, I asked a couple of friends what kind of pasta they would like to see. Both of them said creamy so I set out to make an ultra creamy pasta. The result? Far too creamy and heavy for this Valentine’s meal. I’ll share it later I promise. But in the mean time I needed an entree for my Valentine’s menu. Since I had so much success with my chicken piccata I thought of other ways I could do it. And that is when it hit me, light, tender, fresh, sweet scallops would pair perfectly with the buttery caper sauce.

Close up of scallop piccata pasta in white bowl.

Scallop Piccata

Buttery and full of capers, this scallop pasta puts a spin on the traditional chicken piccata.
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine American
Servings 2 Servings

Ingredients
  

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 pound angel hair pasta
  • 1 pound sea scallops about 10, pat dry
  • fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter divided
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoons nonpareil capers
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • While you're waiting for your pasta water to boil. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter melts, place scallops in pan. Cook, turning once until scallops are browned, about 3 - 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, loosely cover to keep scallops warm. (Note: You may need to do this step in batches, you do not want to over crowd the scallops or they will steam and won't get the color you want.) Reserve pan juices.
  • If you haven't already, begin cooking pasta. Cook according to pasta directions. Drain.
  • While pasta is cooking add garlic to scallop pan, reduce heat to medium, cook 20 seconds or until fragrant. Pour in wine, capers and lemon juice. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until sauce reduces by 1/3 about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Swirl until butter melts. Stir in fresh parsley.
  • Divide pasta evenly among heated pasta bowls. Place 5 scallops on top of the pasta. Pour sauce over the top. Serve.

Notes

Enjoy!
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Keywords: butter, capers, entree, Food, pasta, piccata, piccata pasta, Recipe, scallops, sea scallops, seafood, valentines day

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Recipe Rating




  • Reply
    Jana
    October 8, 2023 at 2:23 pm

    5 stars
    Second time to make this. Made it exactly accept for a few more capers. Loved it!

    • Reply
      Deseree
      October 9, 2023 at 11:28 am

      Coming from a family obsessed with them we agree that more capers is always a good idea! Glad you enjoyed this!! :)

  • Reply
    Cyndi
    October 24, 2020 at 3:48 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! I’m making it for the 3rd time tonight since I found it a couple of months ago.

    • Reply
      Deseree
      October 26, 2020 at 9:10 pm

      Yay! I am so happy to hear that!!

  • Reply
    Janet
    August 16, 2020 at 5:56 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was perfect. Easy to follow and delish…

    • Reply
      Deseree
      August 16, 2020 at 10:31 pm

      So happy you enjoyed it!

  • Reply
    Steven W Brown
    May 26, 2020 at 10:08 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight! Such a great dish!! Thanks for making me look cool with my wife !

    • Reply
      Deseree
      May 27, 2020 at 7:04 pm

      haha You’re welcome!! So glad you enjoyed it :)

  • Reply
    Mike
    June 27, 2018 at 5:15 pm

    5 stars
    Have made this recipe on a number of occasions. Super straightforward and delicious. It is quite possibly the best scallop piccata I’ve ever had. It delivers each and every time and I’m ever grateful to you for sharing. 3 min a side on high for the scallops. And I always double the sauce.

    • Reply
      Deseree
      June 27, 2018 at 8:01 pm

      Wow. Such a compliment. Thank you Mike! I am so happy to hear that you enjoy it so much :)

  • Reply
    Jody
    January 6, 2018 at 8:58 am

    5 stars
    It was delicious ! I will make this dish again!

    • Reply
      Deseree
      January 6, 2018 at 4:40 pm

      I am so happy to hear that Jody! :)

  • Reply
    Megan
    February 15, 2010 at 8:35 pm

    I love scallops-it’s amazing how easy they are to prepare! They’re so light and tasty-I’m definitely going to try to make them with capers next-thanks for posting!

  • Reply
    redkathy
    February 12, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    This is one of my favorites, so flavorful! Your display is lovely. Lady and the Tramp style… so sweet

  • Reply
    Village Feast
    February 11, 2010 at 7:30 pm

    Oh my goodness, this looks heavenly! So simple, all about the ingredients.

  • Reply
    papawow
    February 11, 2010 at 7:46 am

    Looks really tasty and you make it possibly simple enough for me to pull off, thanks for sharing!

  • Des

    Hey! I'm Des!

    Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.

    Read more »

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