Shrimp and Scallop Pasta

The market continues its steady climb. I had 3 showings this week and 1 offers. My reputation precedes me now — the Greek agent who tells the truth about roofs and brings food to open houses. Worse reputations exist.

Alexander called from USF this week. He is doing well and building a life with the quiet competence of a young man who watched his mother rebuild from nothing and decided that building is what Papadopouloses do. He still does not call Yia-yia enough. He never will.

Mama is 81 and still at the bakery at 4 AM. I do not know how much longer she will do this. I do not ask. You do not ask Voula Papadopoulos about endings. You stand next to her and roll phyllo and trust that the beginning continues as long as the hands are moving.

I made baked fish with tomatoes and olives — the fish sitting in a bath of cherry tomatoes, Kalamatas, and olive oil, roasted until fragrant. We ate at the kitchen table, just the two of us, and for a moment the house was not quiet or loud — it was exactly right. Full. Fed. The sound of forks on plates is the sound I love most in this world.

The olive oil in my kitchen is from a Greek import shop in Tampa that sources from Kalamata. It is expensive. It is worth it. I use it on everything — salads, fish, bread, vegetables, the edge of a pot of soup — because olive oil is not a condiment in this family, it is a philosophy. Use it generously. Use it without apology. Use it the way you use love: poured freely, never measured, always more than you think you need.

The baked fish came together the way most of my best meals do — without planning, from whatever was true and available that evening. But this shrimp and scallop pasta is what I make when I want that same feeling with a little more ceremony, when the kitchen table deserves something that takes a few extra minutes and fills the room with the smell of garlic and wine. It is the kind of dish Mama would approve of, not because it is complicated, but because it does not hold back — generous with the olive oil, generous with the seafood, generous in the way that only cooking for people you love can be.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz linguine or spaghetti
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 lb sea scallops, patted dry
4 tablespoons good-quality olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper to taste
Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook linguine according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
Sear the scallops. Season scallops generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add scallops in a single layer and cook without moving for 2 minutes, until a golden crust forms. Flip and cook 1 more minute. Transfer to a plate.
Cook the shrimp. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same skillet. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, then cook 1 to 2 minutes per side until pink and just cooked through. Transfer to the plate with the scallops.
Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the sliced garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned. Add red pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds more.
Deglaze with wine. Pour in the white wine and let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
Add tomatoes and olives. Stir in cherry tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until the tomatoes begin to burst and soften. Add butter and stir until melted into the sauce.
Finish the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a splash at a time to loosen the sauce as needed. Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice.
Return the seafood. Gently fold the shrimp and scallops back into the pasta. Taste for salt and pepper. Scatter parsley over the top and drizzle with a little more olive oil before serving.
Serve. Bring the skillet to the table. Serve directly with crusty bread alongside to catch every drop of the sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Shrimp and Scallop Pasta — The Way We Feed the People We Love