scallop linguine
with casino bread crumbs
So for this recipe I wrote a whole thing about how much I freaking love New Orleans for its baked oysters and regrettable yardstick drinks and Clams Casino, but then my editor told me that Clams Casino are from Rhode Island, so I had to scrap it. Anyway, Clams Casino—baked clams with cheese and bread crumbs and bacon—are heaven. But scallops are better than clams and pasta is better than not-pasta, so here.
serves 4
ingredients
for the casino bread crumbs
4 slices white bread, torn into pieces, or 2 cups panko bread crumbs, but fresh is better!*
3 slices bacon, chopped crosswise
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
for the pasta and scallops
Kosher salt
10 ounces linguine (basically two-thirds of a box)
¾ pound scallops (12 large, or more if they’re smaller)
Canola oil, for searing
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, or more to taste
¼ cup finely chopped chives, plus more for garnish
* how to make fast fresh bread crumbs: any time you need bread crumbs but don’t have any in the house, making fresh bread crumbs out of bread—which you probably do have lying around—takes only a couple seconds and saves you a trip to the store. (Or, uh, asking people on the Internet to give you some.) It’s really as simple as the first step in this recipe.
steps
MAKE THE BREAD CRUMBS:
In a food processor, process the bread until it forms fine crumbs, then dump them into a bowl. (If you’re using panko, skip the food processor and just put the panko in a bowl.)
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until rendered and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon bits from the pan but leave the fat in there. Add the butter, swish to melt, then add the garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic smells great but hasn’t browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bread crumbs, increase the heat to medium, and brown the crumbs, stirring frequently, until toasty, 7 to 8 minutes (or a couple of minutes less if using panko). Stir in the salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and transfer to a large plate to cool for 5 minutes. Crumble the bacon until fine, then toss it into the bread crumbs along with the Parm.
MAKE THE PASTA AND SCALLOPS:
Bring a large pot of salted water (I mean, salt it enough so that the water tastes good. Not “salty like the sea,” because who the hell likes drinking seawater?) to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. (Or, if you’re paranoid like me about overcooking pasta, wait a few minutes to start cooking it until the scallops are in the pan.)
Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Don’t salt them yet (it makes the tops wet so just hold your horses!). Heat a large skillet (NOT nonstick) over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. It should be really hot but not screaming hot. Add enough oil to slick the bottom of the pan. Season the scallops generously with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet, seasoned-side down. DO NOT MOVE THEM! DO NOT TOUCH THEM! THIS IS THE ULTIMATE DFWI MOMENT. YOU WILL THANK ME!
Cook the scallops until a crust forms, 1½ to 2 minutes. Now this is gonna sound crazy, but just go with me here: Carefully pat the tops of the scallops down with a paper towel while they’re cooking, season the top sides with salt and pepper, and flip the scallops. Cook for another minute, 1½ minutes max. (Cook them for less time on both sides if you’re using small scallops.) Move the scallops to a plate, and wipe out the skillet if it is too dark, otherwise just add the broth to the pan and stir to scrape up any browned bits, then cook until the liquid is reduced by half. (It’ll be quick.) Whisk in the butter. Add the sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth and cook until hot, maybe 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
When the pasta is ready, drain it, keeping a little bit of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sour cream mixture and toss to coat. If it looks dry, splash in a little pasta water. Return the scallops and any juices to the pasta, then add the Parm, half the bread crumbs, and the chives and toss. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining bread crumbs and more chives.
