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This scrumptious scallops dinner in a creamy onion sage sauce only sounds fancy. It’s very easy to make.
Scallops As You’ve Never Tasted Them
This was a surprising change of pace for me. When I originally saw the recipe in a Taste of Home email, I wanted to try this ASAP.
I love scallops. However, I basically eat them pretty much the standard ways, which consist of searing them in a skillet, broiling them in butter or coating them with breadcrumbs and baking them.
This recipe got me out of my usual “scallop rut” and introduced me to a new way to prepare them.
Scallops Won’t Break The Budget
I won’t lie; scallops are very expensive. The good news here is that because this recipe has a sauce with pasta, you can serve more people from a pound of scallops. It’s indulgent, but not quite as much as if you served them as the main part of the meal.
One of my stores sells scallop pieces. They are regular sea scallops but had the misfortune of not coming out of their shells whole when they were cut. These are sold at half the price of colossal sea scallops and work perfectly in this dish because they are an ingredient rather than the star of the show.
You can always substitute bay scallops which are pretty reasonable. They have a chewier texture but taste like the big ones. They’d work well here with the sauce and pasta.
The Sage
One thing I adapted from the original recipe was the amount of sage.
The original contained quite a bit. I cut that in half because where I do like sage, I prefer a milder flavor; too much tastes medicinal to me and I didn’t want to take the chance on spoiling something with a rather costly ingredient.
I might also add that you must use fresh sage here. The ground stuff in the jar just won’t work. The good news is that you can buy packets in the produce section that have about 10 leaves in them. My store also sells plants that you can keep growing on the windowsill or plant in your garden if you wish.
The Recipe
Scallops in Onion Sage Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 lb sea scallops preferred but bay scallops will work
- salt & pepper
- 3 tbs olive oil divided
- 1 tbs butter
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4-6 fresh sage leaves thinly sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 16 oz fettucine or linguine cooked
Instructions
- Pat scallops as dry as you can get them, then sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops to the pan, but don’t crowd them. To get a good sear, DO NOT MOVE THEM AROUND—let them stay put for about 2 minutes. They will release easily once seared. Turn them and cook for about 1 minute on the other side. Remove from the pan and keep them warm.
- Wipe out the skillet then add the remaining oil and the butter. Saute the onion and garlic about 1 minute till they become fragrant.
- Add the cream, sage, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and boil for about 1 minute till the sauce is slightly thick.
- Place the scallops back in the pan and heat through—about 30 seconds.
- Serve with pasta.
Hofterzielbeek says
This recipe looks so mouth watering. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.