Sauteed bay scallops with tomatoes and a touch of white wine and lemon juice served over angel hair pasta.
If you're looking for a special dinner to make for your loved one this Valentine's Day, this is a perfect dish. For starters, it takes less than 15 minutes to make, so you'll have less time cooking, and more time together. Secondly, scallops date back to ancient Greece as an aphrodisiac. As legend has it, the goddess Aphrodite was carried to earth on the shell of a scallop.
Personally, I love scallops for their sweet, delicate flavor. Bay scallops are the smaller variety and are usually less expensive than sea scallops. They are wonderful tossed with pasta and take less than a minute to cook.
Because bay scallops retain so much water, it's really important that you dry them well before cooking, and you really want to cook them in a hot pan so you get a quick sear. I cook them in 2 or 3 batches depending on the size of my pan. Don't skip this step because you don't want to overcrowd the pan, otherwise the scallops will become rubbery and won't sear.
If you're family doesn't like whole wheat pasta, a great trick I like to do is use both whole wheat and semolina. You don't really notice the taste of the whole wheat and your getting the added benefits of using a whole grain.
For all you spaghetti squash lovers out there, I'm sure this would be wonderful over roasted spaghetti squash as a gluten-free, lower-carb alternative.
Scallops and Tomatoes with Angel Hair Pasta
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 4 • Size: about 1 1/4 cup • Old Pts: 7 pts • Weight Watchers Pts+: 9 pts
Calories: 345 • Fat: 5 g • Protein: 27 g • Carb: 43 g • Fiber: 6 g • Sugar: 2.5 g
Sodium: 318 mg (without salt)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb bay scallops, dried well
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 14 oz can diced petite tomatoes, drained
- salt and fresh pepper
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 7 oz angel hair pasta (I used half whole wheat)*
Directions:
Put a large pot of salted water to boil.
Meanwhile, heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet on high heat. When hot, add 1 tsp of oil and the butter over medium-high heat until mixture starts to brown.
MAKE SURE THE PAN AND OIL MIXTURE IS VERY HOT - Transfer HALF of the scallops to the skillet and cook WITHOUT MOVING until seared: ABOUT 30 SECONDS. Gently flip and sear on other side for another 20 - 30 SECONDS. Remove from skillet and set aside; cook remaining scallops and repeat as the first batch; set aside with first batch.
Add the angel hair to the boiling salted water, cook according to package instructions for al dente.
Reduce the skillet to medium-high heat; add remaining teaspoon of oil. When hot add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of parsley, remove from heat.
Drain any liquid that accumulates from the scallops, then add the scallops to the skillet and remove from the heat.
Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Top with the scallops and sauce, more fresh parsley and serve with grated parmigiano if desired.
Makes about 5 cups.
Without the pasta, each serving would be 5 points plus.
*Use brown rice pasta or quinoa pasta for gluten free.























I HAVE to learn how to grill scallops because this sounds too yummy not to make!! =)
ReplyDeleteErgo - Blog
This looks so delicious. Yum!
ReplyDeleteLauren x
Gordon + Gold
Looks SO amazing! I just love scallops!
ReplyDeleteWith my WW calculator, this recipe comes out to 8 Points Plus.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's the pasta .. ups the WW points. It was mentioned that "Without the pasta, each serving would be 5 points plus" .. I suppose you could use spaghetti squash :-)
DeleteMonica.
The wine makes it 9 pts plus.
DeleteWe love bay scallops....little juju beans from the sea.
ReplyDeleteThis plain just looks good.
ReplyDeleteMonica
www.pear-shaped-gal.com
Yum! I'm not a fish eater (besides calif
ReplyDeleteFornia rolls) but I'd use xh
ReplyDeleteThose bay scallops look just like chickpeas! Great recipe -- I can't wait to try it :D
ReplyDeletefunny, they kind of do, bet that would work for a vegetarian option!
DeleteThat's exactly what I thought when I first saw the picture!
DeleteOh man, I totally thought they were chickpeas. I kept thinking, Why aren't there any pics of the scallops? I'll be making this sans scallops, with chickpeas and spinach.
DeleteI make something similar to this but with heavy cream - i LOVE that this is a healthier version! I will replace my old recipe with this one. One more reason i love this site!!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!!!
Love the simplicity of this recipe! I've never had bay scallops. I think I would actually like them better than regular sized scallops. Can't wait to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteDelicious. I will try with either spaghetti squash or ribbons of zucchini. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteMy husband doesn't eat ANY food from the sea. :) What would be a good substitute for the scallops?
ReplyDeletechicken would work if cut small.
DeleteCan you tell me what the points would be if I used Smart spaghetti?
ReplyDeleteLOVE your recipes...thank you!!
same points
DeleteI always forget about bay scallops! I usually cook up sea scallops but you are right the bay scallops are better for a pasta dish! Thanks for the reminder and the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteI need to make these scallops now! Yum!
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely dish - easy, elegant and super flavorful! Looks so delicious Gina!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious Gina! I adore scallops but only buy them occasionally because they can be pretty pricey (especially the really big ones.) Might have to buy some as a little treat this weekend though! ;)
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight. Was easy and good. My husband said "I'd eat this again." Thanks for ALL of your recipes. For the first time in a long time I feel like cooking again because you have so many healthy AND yummy options. Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you both liked it!
DeleteI agree. Gina because of you my weight watchers journey has been simply marvelous. 13 lbs and counting.
DeleteThis sounds just fantastic! I like your idea about mixing the two different pastas as well and not tasting the whole grain one. Thank you for that suggestion.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, this looks so amazing! I love scallops and with pasta? Perfection!
ReplyDeleteAs always you've come up with another creative (and healthy) spin on pasta, can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteThis looks fantastic, I love the array of colours :-)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a sweetie for Valentine's Day this year, but I think I'll make this for myself and treat myself to something special. Thanks for the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll try this with spaghetti squash instead of pasta!
ReplyDeleteCarol
Gina,
ReplyDeleteMy husband is allergic to scallops but can have other seafood. Do you have a seafood alternative that wouldn't change the points value? Please let me know! Would love to try it out!
What a lovely dinner! This one is going in the recipe box for sure!
ReplyDeleteMade this last night--couldn't find sea scallops at Super Target so I substituted shrimp and it was great. I did have a bit of an "I Love Lucy" moment where I got the pan too hot before adding the oil. There was smoke everywhere! Thank goodness stainless steel is not too hard to clean. Great recipe, Gina!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! Can you use shrimp and would it change the WW points?
ReplyDeleteI used 12 oz raw, deveined, tail-off shrimp which I think is 8PP. I believe that 1lb raw scallops is 9PP, so I think that's pretty much equivalent.
DeleteI don't drink wine so I never make recipes that this is an ingredient BUT I would like to make this one. What white wine do you use??
ReplyDeleteI will definitely try this. Did not know the difference between bay scalops and sea scallops. I learn so much from your site and love cooking your recipes. I have sent your site to my brother in law in France.
ReplyDeleteI am from Canada and have a hard time to find the low fat cheeses. Any idea about equivalent cheese that you use in your recipes?
Sneaky Sneakerson! I love your deceptive ways... I'll have to try your pasta trick just to trick myself.
ReplyDeleteLove those little bays!
ReplyDeleteUhh made this tonight it is so good! I added some shrimp.
ReplyDeleteMade this last night, thank you so much! It was delish! Next time I make it I believe I will add in some fresh basil from our yard vs the parsley, even though it was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI did not have white wine so I used chicken broth, and it was very good. I also used veggie pasta instead of the wheat.
The family loved it!
It's going to be finish of mine day, except before finish I am reading this fantastic article to improve my experience.
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I made this tonight, it was delicious!
ReplyDeleteI loved this! I made it with Whole Wheat Spagetti to make it more low carb, but I could just eat the scallop mixture. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
ReplyDeleteI made this last night and it turn out so good, thank you for your blog I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteI made this with spaghetti squash last night. It was easy, delicious and felt very gourmet. I plan to make it again for my sweetie...
ReplyDeleteJust made this recipe. It was so delicious!! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI've been cooking things off this blog since I started my diet and January, but this is the first time I've commented. I've never had scallops before so I just tried this because it looked really good, and it surpassed my expectations. The tomato mixture is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI saw this on Facebook this past week and knew my family would love it...and they did! I used sea scallops and added shrimp (two picky eaters that ate the shrimp) and it was so delicious! Thank you Gina for all of your great recipes!
ReplyDeleteI love scallops! This looks out of this world delicious!
ReplyDeletesubstituted shrimp and served with Gina's cheddar garlic biscuits. i had a very happy fiance!
ReplyDeleteThis turned out amazing! My husband and kids approved =) The scallops cooked on high heat kind of smoked out the house, not sure if there is a way to fix that? But still worth it! =)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, my husband said this was the best thing I have ever made. This is an amazing dish! I want more recipes with these delicious little things!
ReplyDeleteMy wife was knocked off her feet over this made for her on Valentines Day thanks Gina
ReplyDeleteCouldn't find the scallops so used bay shrimp - did NOT love it. I'm sure jumbo shrimp might be better, but this was downright not good. No reflection on you, Gina, we love everything of yours. :)
ReplyDeleteI made this for Valentines Day and it was delish! We made it with sea scallops, instead of bay scallops, so they had to cook a bit longer. Overall, I would definitely make this again! And I loved that it was so quick!
ReplyDeleteJUST made this and IT was amazing, Gina!! I love scallops and I used gluten-free pasta and it came out great.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
xoxo
How do you think it would taste re-heated? My husband doesn't eat scallops, so I'd be cooking this just for me. I'd cut the recipe in half, but I'd still have leftovers. I just don't want the scallops to taste funny the next day.
ReplyDeleteReally great recipe. Next time, I'll slice the garlic and parsley before hand, and not get the oil so hot; whoops!
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely make this again.
Made this tonight.....I was a little hesitant because I had never cooked scallops before, but it looked so good! It was amazing!! So light and fresh! I LOOOOOVE your website. I always come here first when I'm looking for a delicious, skinny recipe. Thanks so much, Gina!!!
ReplyDeleteCan you use frozen bay scallops for this?
ReplyDelete