Easy Scallops Alfredo Recipe

If you're looking to make something truly special and delicious, consider a creamy dish of fettuccine pasta, topped off with perfectly seared scallops, dotted with peas, and sprinkled with fresh parsley. Scallops are one of those perfect foods — they're quick to cook, easy to make, and so incredibly delicious. They'll wow you for days. Combine that with pasta and creamy Alfredo, and you've got yourself a meal worthy of the gods, according to food blogger and photographer Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table.

Scallops are a type of seafood — and particularly, a bivalve mollusk. Similarly to clams and mussels, scallops are actually the muscle part, while as the shell is often thrown out before we even get to them. They can vary in size, and the difference stems mainly from their habitat. Bay scallops are small, while as their sea scallop counterpart can get quite large. The former are great for pasta, while the latter are good for pan-searing on their own, like a juicy steak.

In this recipe, we use small bay scallops, mixed with a creamy Alfredo sauce and sweet, juicy peas. Then, we heap the entire deliciousness on top of fettuccine pasta. We won't blame you for drooling already — this is simply that kind of dish.

For a simple pasta dish, the ingredient list for scallops Alfredo is fittingly, well, simple. A package of fettuccine pasta is the necessary start, though you can use spaghetti or another long, narrow pasta. Of course, you will need water and salt to cook the pasta.

The Alfredo sauce will be made of butter, oil, onion, garlic cloves, heavy cream, chicken broth or dry white wine, and grated Parmesan cheese. The additional main ingredients you will need include: scallops, peas, and fresh parsley. These ingredients will provide the main texture and flavor, other than the sauce.

Other than these items, you may want to consider picking up a nice bottle of your favorite white wine when shopping to serve when you're done preparing.

First, let us cook the fettuccine pasta according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain the pasta, and set it aside, adding a touch of olive oil to help prevent it from sticking together. In most cases, cooking pasta involves dunking dried pasta into a pot of boiling, salted water. Most pasta requires seven to 10 minutes to cook, with fresh pasta being the exception. (It cooks in as little as two to three minutes).

While the pasta is cooking, dice the onion and finely mince the garlic and parsley. Set them aside to be used a bit later.

Bring a large pan, preferably non-stick, to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil to it. Then, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for three minutes, until the onion turns translucent. 

Add the scallops to the pan, and sauté for four minutes, turning them over once after two minutes, until the scallops are opaque and slightly seared on both sides. Scallops cook very quickly, so don't be alarmed by the short cooking time — they'll be more than ready! Overcooking the scallops will give them a rubbery, unpleasant texture, and we definitely don't want to do that to our main ingredient.

To the pan with the onion, garlic, and scallops, add the broth or wine and heavy cream. Bring the Alfredo sauce to a light boil, and lower the heat to simmer. Let the sauce cook until the cream reduces slightly, about two to five minutes.

Once the sauce has reduced and thickened a bit, add in the peas. We don't add the peas earlier because we don't want to overcook them. This way, they just lightly heat up and still retain their juiciness and bite. 

You should end up with plenty of slightly thickened, creamy sauce in which the tasty morsels of scallops can leisurely soak.

Add in the Parmesan cheese, minced fresh parsley, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir well to combine. Taste and correct seasoning as needed, adding more cheese, salt, or seasonings to taste.

Add the drained fettuccine pasta to the pan. Using tongs, two large serving spoons or a fork and spoon, stir gently to mix everything together, and let cook for an additional two minutes. The reason why we cook the pasta a bit longer is to let the flavors of the scallops Alfredo sauce permeate the pasta and soften it further.

Serve the scallops Alfredo pasta immediately as you are done cooking it. This ensures the pasta retains some bite, the scallops stay juicy and delicious, and the sauce stays supple, creamy, and just runny enough to envelop the pasta. Top off each plate with a generous helping of scallops, more grated Parmesan cheese, and parsley. You may even want to add a squeeze of lemon or a bit of lemon zest to each plate.

Scallops Alfredo will keep in a well-sealed container for four days, though it tastes best when it is served fresh. This dish makes a pretty impressive presentation, and it's a really great choice for entertaining. Enjoy!