So here’s the deal. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to find fresh seafood in Colorado. Actually, I take that back. You can of course find fresh seafood, but you will have to pay an arm and a leg for it. Unless it comes from a nearby lake or maybe, perhaps a surplus of fish from the Pacific Northwest. In the end, you are most likely out of luck. I originally wanted to make this dish with a poached lobster, but since that was completely out of the question, we went with scallops instead…bay scallops to be exact. I know that sea scallops are all the rave. They are larger, juicy and totally scrumptious, but I often find that bay scallops totally get looked over. If cooked right, they have this perfect subtle sweetness. These little bite-sized morsels were the perfect addition to this pasta dish and they didn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy either!
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So bay scallops can be bought fresh or frozen. I know that “frozen” scares a lot of people. It scares me most of the time too, but when you live in an area like we do, sometimes it’s hard to find the fresh stuff. As long as the meat or fish is clean and comes from a good place, I don’t see the problem in using it. If you’ve never tried them, I suggest doing so. They are smaller, but in my opinion they are extremely delicious. Just toss them in a little melted butter and season with salt and pepper. They are the perfect addition to many of your favorite pasta dishes. I promise.
Brown butter is usually our go to when we aren’t too sure what to mix with our pasta and we aren’t up for a red sauce. I love brown butter. Who would have thought brown butter could taste so differently then the “raw” stuff? Today we decided to infuse some herbs into the mix. I didn’t want the chewy texture of sage in every bite of my pasta, so we decided to cook them in whole sprig form while the butter was browning. It really is the perfect way to infuse some great flavor into your sauces. Sage is so incredibly powerful, that in the end you will feel like you never actually took the sprigs out in the end. Thyme and rosemary on the other hand, were kind of an afterthought. I wanted some other herby flavors going on in the sauce, so at the very end of the browning process an addition of another herb or two couldn’t hurt.
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So the thing with browning butter is that it can go from incredible to horrible in a matter of seconds. You really have to keep an eye on it. Some say that it’s ok to melt over a medium heat. I do not think this should ever be the case. If you’re scared of it burning, I would certainly suggest cooking over a low to medium-low heat. That way you can keep a closer eye on it. This butter can literally go from brown to burnt in seconds, so be very very very careful! It’s worth the pain and labor. Trust me, and in the end it’s really not all that difficult to make.
You totally need a beer that’s “winey” and “barrel-aged” for this pairing. Wine and pasta go hand in hand, and lighter pasta dishes go perfect with white wines. That’s why when we were deciding what to pair this with we decided to go with Avery Brewing’s Barrel-Aged Wild Ale: Muscat d’Amour. Yes, it is certainly wild, but it is insanely delicious! You get those subtle hints of Muscat Blanc grapes and because this beer is aged 14 months in chardonnay barrels, you can see why I wanted to pair this dish with this beer. Also, seafood goes very well with chardonnay. Are you understanding what I’m saying? A total match made in heaven. Any other barrel-aged beer will do for this food and beer pairing. Try to find something that has been aged in a white wine barrel. You will definitely notice a huge difference.
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Well this week flew by don’t you think?! I can’t believe it’s already Thursday. I guess it’s back to the unpacking. No, we are still not done unpacking. Why do you ask? At this point, I feel like we will never be done!
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14 Comments
Just so you know — it is virtually impossible to get really fresh seafood anywhere, unless you go out in a boat, catch it, take it straight home and cook it yourself. All commercially-caught fish and seafood is frozen on the boat. Even the stuff that says “fresh.” What it should say is “thawed.”
I LOVE bay scallops. They’re so tiny and sweet and virtually impossible to ruin, and when you compare them, pricewise, to sea scallops, they are a win-win as far I’m concerned. This looks delicious.
Molly – You are sooo right. It is pretty much virtually impossible to get fresh seafood, and I think this is a common misconception among most people. I love them too! I think they totally get looked over sometimes! Thank you! =)
This sounds so delicious, thank you for the recipe! :)
No problem Rosie! Would love to know how it comes out if you decide to make it. Happy weekend!
I love your pictures and recipes, they are mouth watering. Would love for you to share them with us at foodieportal.com. We are new but at foodieportal.com we are not photography snobs, we are just foodies.
Love it Foodie! Thanks for the heads up!
Yum!! I had scallops for the first time just a few weeks ago and loved it! (I always refused to eat anything that came out of the sea when I was little) This has got to go on my to-make list!
Thanks Yvonne! Yeah, scallops are pretty special for sure. Enjoy!
Lovely
work! Would you be happy to link it in
to the current Food on Friday which is all about scallops? This is the
link . I do hope to see you
there. Cheers
Of Course! Thanks for letting us know!
Zachary and Justine, thanks for adding this to the scallopy collection. I hope to see you again soon. Cheers
No problem! Thanks!
Your food photos are amazing. You can share your mouth watering photos with us at foodienewz.com and your photos published on FoodieNewz without any editorial review.