Linguine with Bay Scallops

Saturday June 7

Luken's at Findlay Market had bay scallops that weren't swimming in too much chemically-enhanced juice, for $5/pound. That gave Barbara an envie for the sort of seafood linguine that you would get at beachfront towns in Italy. It also gave her an excuse to trim back the oregano, which is threatening to swamp anything it gets near in the garden.

We picked a handful of said oregano, a half handful of thyme, and a precious sprig of basil, de-stemmed the leaves, and chopped them up. The pound of scallops was draining on paper towels in the meantime. We boiled up a pot of linguine, and when it was five minutes from being done, heated a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. We sautéed a minced clove of garlic, then added the chopped herbs, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and finally the scallops. They were fried on both sides (you can stir-fry them, but be gentle) until just opaque; then the pasta was drained well, and tossed in around them.

The results may have some extra liquid,* but the pasta will suck that up. Still, it never hurts to have a spoon ready, just in case.

*Do not attempt to boil this down, otherwise the scallops turn into rubber eraser tips--not that we've ever made that mistake.