My take on a recipe by Karina at Café Delites (https://cafedelites.com/creamy-tuscan-scallops/)

INGREDIENTS


• 28 oz (800 g) scallops

• 2 tablespoons salted butter

• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 5 oz (150 g) jarred sun dried tomato strips in oil (don’t drain). Slice into thin strips.

• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 3 cups baby spinach leaves, washed

• 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 teaspoon (or less) dried Italian herbs

• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

• Pasta noodles. Many people like angel hair (capellini d’angelo) with seafood. For this recipe, however, I prefer wider noodles such as fettuccine or linguine.

METHOD

• In a large pot bring water to the boil, add salt, and drop the pasta in. Cook as directed on the package.

• Rinse scallops and thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels. Set aside.

• (If you have very large scallops you may want to slice them in half horizontally, but be careful: you don’t want to dry them out in the frying!)

• Melt butter in a large pan.

• Sauté onion until soft – try not to let them brown, but if a few do it’s not too big of a deal.

• Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant.

• Pour in the white wine, and allow to reduce to half, while scraping any oniony bits off the bottom of the pan.

• While that is reducing heat olive oil in another large pan or skillet over medium-high heat until hot and sizzling.

• Add the scallops in a single layer without overcrowding the pan – keep them at least I” apart.

• Season with salt and pepper to taste and fry for 2-3 minutes on one side (until a golden crust forms underneath), then flip and fry again for 2 minutes until crisp, lightly browned and cooked through (opaque).

• Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.

• Returning to the onions, add the sun dried tomatoes with their oil and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring frequently to release their flavors.

• Reduce heat to low-medium, add the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir frequently.

• Season with salt and pepper.

• Add the spinach leaves and stir into the cream sauce allowing them to wilt.

• Add the parmesan cheese and stir it in.

• Allow sauce to simmer for a minute or so until the cheese has melted.

• Stir in the Italian herbs. (Be circumspect here. Better to add small amounts, stir and taste then repeat until you’ve achieved the flavor you want.)

• Lower the heat and add the scallops including all the oil and juices from their pan.

• Add the drained pasta and stir it around to get well-and-truly covered with the sauce. (This is why I prefer the wider ribbons).    Let it get warmed up again by the sauce.

• Sprinkle the parsley over the top.

• Wipe the edges of the pan then take it to the table to serve.