Sea Scallops with Cipollini Onions and Pasta

Valentine's Day is tomorrow and I want to say something about it that is not a greeting card. Sean D. and I have agreed not to do the full Valentine's Day thing — not because we're too cool for it, which we aren't, but because we both have the same day off and would rather eat a real meal than fight for a table at a restaurant that has raised its prices because February. This is a practical position. I stand by it.

What we're doing instead: I'm making a nice dinner at home. Filet mignon, because Sean D. loves steak and I've been practicing the reverse-sear method — low oven for an hour and a screaming-hot cast iron pan for the crust, which is about as reliably good as any home steak method I know. Roasted asparagus, a bottle of wine from the shop on Broadway that cost more than I'd usually spend but less than a restaurant would cost us.

At work this week Patricia had a better day — she told me her coffee smelled right for the first time in six weeks. "It smelled like coffee," she said. "It actually smelled like coffee." I said, "That's huge." She said, "I didn't think I'd miss it that much." I told her I'd bring her my ginger broth recipe, the one I'd mentioned when her sense of smell was completely off. She said she'd like that. I went home and wrote it down properly for the first time, which felt like doing something right.

Four months until the wedding. Four months. I am in the full thrall of countdown now, and the countdown mostly feels like joy with some anxiety mixed in, which is probably the correct ratio for this sort of thing. Sean D. doesn't seem anxious. He seems exactly as steady as he always seems. I find this both admirable and slightly suspicious.

The filet mignon is for Sean D., and I’m not straying from that plan — but if I’m being honest with myself about what I actually want to cook this week, the dish that kept pulling at me was something I’d bookmarked a while back: sea scallops with cipollini onions and pasta. There’s something about caramelized cipollini — sweet and a little collapsing, in the best way — paired with a proper sear on a fat sea scallop that feels exactly right for a night when you’re choosing to stay home not because you have to, but because you actually want to. It’s the kind of recipe that takes real care without being a production, which is the whole point.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients

8 oz linguine or fettuccine
1 lb large dry-packed sea scallops (about 8–10), side muscles removed
10 oz cipollini onions, peeled and halved
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Set pasta aside.
Caramelize the cipollini onions. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cipollini onions cut-side down in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 6–8 minutes until deep golden on the cut side, then turn and cook another 4 minutes until tender and caramelized. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Build the sauce. In the same skillet over medium heat, add garlic and thyme and cook 60 seconds until fragrant. Add white wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add broth and lemon juice, stir to combine, and simmer another 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and the red pepper flakes. Return caramelized onions to the skillet. Toss in the cooked pasta, adding a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen if needed. Keep warm over low heat.
Sear the scallops. Pat scallops very dry with paper towels and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a separate heavy skillet (cast iron preferred) over high heat until shimmering and just beginning to smoke. Add scallops in a single layer without crowding. Sear undisturbed for 2 minutes until a deep golden crust forms. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more. Scallops should be opaque at the edges with a slightly translucent center. Remove immediately.
Plate and serve. Divide pasta and onions between two shallow bowls. Arrange scallops on top. Scatter parsley over the dish and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve at once with lemon wedges alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sea Scallops with Cipollini Onions and Pasta — A Valentine’s Dinner Worth Staying Home For