Scallops with Zucchini Pasta

I am SO looking forward to summer. The upcoming warm weather that brings bright and delicate greens is so close, I almost can taste it! If you have followed my recipes at all, you would know my pure obsession with the bounty of zucchini in summer. If I could, I would just make an entire blog post of heart eyes for the vegetable; so adaptable, so versatile, so simple, so PERFECT. I spend an inordinate amount of time eating plain ol’ grilled zucchini and piles upon piles of zoodles (spiralized zucchini ‘pasta’). This particular day was no different. I was trying to drop a few pounds last month to go to Italy, but was dreaming of eating there anyway, so I whipped this up as a healthier rendition of the famous… or maybe infamous Roman pasta dishes. Save this post to reference for when the CSA zucchini and herb frenzie begins because it is so delicious and only takes about 20 minutes to make! It’s sort of a cross between chimichurri, alfredo, and scampi… the best of all three in my opinion, and lower calorie to boot. I hope you enjoy!
 
Scallops with Zucchini Pasta
(Serves 4)
 
Ingredients
1 lb scallops (the bigger the better. This recipe I used U-15s)
4 large zucchinis (about 3 lbs), spiralized
Splash of avocado oil
Sauce:
3 oz parmigiano reggiano, roughly chopped
3 large cloves garlic
½ cup dry white wine
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup packed parsley, chopped
1 cup packed cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Directions
  1. Lay out scallops on a paper towel to dry out a bit. Salt and pepper both sides.
  2. Heat up a cast iron skillet on medium high heat (any skillet should suffice, but cast iron makes a gorgeous dramatic char).
  3. Blend all sauce ingredients until smooth and add to a separate wok or large skillet aside from the cast iron. Turn pan on to medium high heat.
  4. Add the zoodles to the sauce. Toss in the sauce for a few minutes.
  5. When the cast iron skillet is hot, add the splash of avocado oil and the scallops. Watch these because they will cook fast! About one minute on each side for U-15s.
  6. Plate the zoodles in sauce and top with scallops. Sprinkle with a little chili flake if you like the spicy life.