Are scallops sustainable?
Yes! Scallops, whether wild or farmed, are a “best choice” according to the Monterey Aquarium’s ratings. Plus, they’re a good source of protein, vitamins, and calcium, and very low fat.
Doesn’t primavera mean spring?
Yes, it does, but you make scallops primavera with zucchini and tomatoes, and actually zucchini and tomatoes don’t grow in the spring but in the summer, at least where I live. Maybe they’re earlier in Italy.
How to make scallops primavera
Start by making the noodles. In a bowl, mix 3 cups of white flour with six eggs, 1/3 cup of oil, and as much water as you need to make a dough. Knead well, and roll out thin. Slice the noodles into thin strips and leave them to dry while you make the sauce.
Put a large saucepan mostly full of water on to boil. Chop an onion. Put a medium-size frying pan over medium-high heat, and pour in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Saute the chopped onions. While they soften, chop two zucchinis and add them. Then cut a cupful of cherry tomatoes in half and add them.
When the zucchini is almost done, add the scallops. You’ll need about ten sea scallops (the big, expensive kind. Frozen is fine). Season with salt and pepper, and a tablespoon each of chopped basil and oregano. Don’t move the scallops while they cook, so they can brown on the side touching the pan.
After about a minute, turn the scallops over, add a half a cup of white wine, and cook the other side for a minute. Turn off the heat under the scallops and put the noodles into the boiling water. Let the noodles cook for two minutes, then drain them and rinse them in cold water quickly to keep them from sticking.
Serve hot, right away, ladling the sauce and scallops on top of the noodles. As a side dish, sliced cucumbers or a green salad would be nice.
Vegetarian or vegan?
Nope, but you can just leave out the scallops and add chickpeas instead and it will be vegan. If you’d rather not eat noodles, just make more zucchini and tomatoes and eat it without the noodles.
And will scallops primavera keep?
If you refrigerate it in a sealed tupperware, you can eat scallops primavera the next day, but really it is best fresh right out of the pan.