½ pound linguine

2 medium leeks, washed and thinly sliced (the white and light green parts only)

2 tablespoons butter

⅓ cup white wine

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

½ pound sea scallops, with the muscle removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

 

Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium until foaming. Add the leeks and stir to coat. Sprinkle with a little dash of salt, then turn the heat to very low and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’re all wonderfully brown and caramelized. If needed, add a little water at any point if they are looking too dry.

 

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add in your pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve a bit of the cooking liquid, then drain your pasta. 

 

Add the leeks and grated parmesan to the pasta. Then, pour your wine into the pan that you cooked the leeks in, turn up the heat to medium-high, and cook for a couple of minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan into the liquid. Pour this over the pasta and leeks and toss everything together, adding a little pasta water to moisten, as needed. Cover lightly and set aside as you prepare the scallops. 

 

Pat the scallops dry and sprinkle them with salt and fresh ground pepper. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and sear on each side until they are brown and crisped on the outside and just opaque in the middle -- this only takes 2 minutes or so per side. 

 

Divide the pasta with leeks between two plates, then perch half of the scallops on top of each. Sprinkle the lemon zest and some freshly ground pepper over each dish. Finally garnish with the parsley and cheese, and serve. And don't forget to serve the rest of the bottle of white wine.

 

Serves 2

 

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Printable version

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Original recipe

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