Note: We made this while we were in Baton Rouge with Todd and Nick for Christmas. We were able to get some very nice bay scallops about the size of the end of my thumb at the high end market close to their apartment. I think we had a bottle of Nora. I have done versions of this over the years, slowly perfecting the techniques and working within the variability of trial and error and approximate measures. Maybe it was more about the company and season, but we got it JUST RIGHT this evening. I will make this recipe for two. It can be adjusted up or down. I would not increase the flour mixture proportionately but, maybe, by half with each doubling of the number of servings.
Be sure to prepare the sauce before you start the scallops. Be warming the pasta water while you are preparing the sauce. It will take about 10 minutes to come to a boil and that is about the right amount of time to get the sauce ready. Get the oil and butter ready for the scallops, then start to cook them at about the same time you put the pasta in the water.
Scallops
1/2 pound bay scallops 1/2 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or ground chipotle powder 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup butter
Combine flour, salt, peper, and cayenne in a 1 gallon zip lock bag. Heat olive oil and butter to medium high heat in a 12 inch skillet. Be careful not to burn the butter. If it starts to turn brown, reduce the heat. It will likely brown as the scallops cook, but you don't want to burn it early. Time the cooking of the scallops to be right after you put the pasta in the boiling water.
Just before cooking, toss the scallops in the sealed zip lock bag with the flour until they are lightly coated. Transfer the scallops to the heated oil/butter, scattering them evenly across the pan. Allow to cook 3-4 minutes. Toss or gently stir the scallops such that most are turned. Cook another 2 minutes. Stir again and cook 2 more minutes until the scallops are uniformly browned. Transfer to a paper towel and keep warm until serving. Retain the mixture of browned butter and flour in the frying pan.
Fettucine sauce
1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon capers juice of one lemon (2 tablespoons) 1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 hand full fettucine 1 tablespoon salt
Heat oil and red and black pepper over a medium heat 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice stirring quickly to cool the oil and avoid splattering. Return the mixture to heat and reduce to low-medium heat. Juice should begin to bubble slightly but not spatter. (If you want and have it, you can add a couple of tablespoons of white wine here two. I keep some of those small bottles of mediocre wine around for this purpose.) Add capers and stir. Add butter and stir when it is melted. The goal is to blend the liquid and oil such that they are not separated. Reduce the heat to low and add 1/2 of the parsley. Keep warm.
Final preparation
When the pasta is cooked remove 1/2 cup of the water and set aside. Drain the pasta then add it to the reserved butter/flour mixture with the pasta water in the fry pan. Stir until the pasta is coated. Give the sauce a quick stir, then drizzle over the pasta mixture. You may not need all of the sauce. The pasta should be lightly coated. Add the remaining parsley and toss all one last time.
Serving
Place pasta on plate and top with a portion of the scallops.
Enjoy