Scallops with Fennel-Orange Pasta

Ah, I'm back from our vacation from the Pacific Northwest! It was a busy week. We visited Seattle,

hung out at a cabin on a lake,

went sailing,

and spent quality time with family.

We also ate a whole bunch of this:

So now it's time to eat something healthy. Something with lots of vegetables. Like some seared scallops with a fennel and orange pasta.  This dish was a surprise for us.  I was expecting to like it, but we ended up loving it.  The pancetta and orange added a salty-sweet combination to the fennel and pasta.  And other than cooking the pasta, everything is made in the saute pan, which cuts down on clean up time.


Seared Scallops with Fennel-Orange Pasta
adapted from Cuisine at Home
June 2012


8 oz dried shaped pasta (I used orechiette)
4 oz pancetta diced
12 large sea scallops
2 Tbs olive oil
2 medium (or 1 large) fennel bulb, sliced
¼ c chopped onion
½ tsp red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 orange (use an orange from below)
½ c dry white wine
2 navel oranges, segmented

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

In a large saute pan, cook pancetta until browned. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. In the drippings, brown one side of the scallops, about 3-4 minutes. Flip scallops and cover. Lower heat to medium-low, and let the scallops finish cooking, about another 3 minutes. Transfer scallops to a plate and loosely cover with foil.
Turn heat back up to medium-high; add olive oil to pan. Add the fennel, shallots, and pepper flakes, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add orange zest, and season with salt and pepper. Pour orange zest and white wine into the pan and cook another 8 minutes, scraping the browned bits off the bottom. Add pasta to the pan and toss until well combined. Let cook another 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in the pancetta and orange segments. Serve scallops on a bed of pasta.