Whenever I hear the word “quick” or “light” to describe a recipe, I tend to equate it with “light on flavour”. The irony is that most of the things I cook require less than 15 minutes of prep and a total of less than an hour to complete. I guess this means I should give “quick” recipes some more credit.
This one is truly a quick weeknight meal that takes about 15 minutes from start to finish, yet it’s full of flavour and packs a wallop of heat. There isn’t really a “sauce”, other than the oil and any liquid from the scallops, but it’s perfect for coating the noodles with the aromatic curry and toasty browned ginger and garlic. You can adjust the heat level, by adding more or less cayenne pepper and the scallions and cilantro add a bit of color and freshness at the end.
I like using scallops because they’re packed with umami, but you could just as easily do this with shrimp, chicken or tofu. You might be wondering why I didn’t choose an asian noodle, but scallops are on the softside (when cooked properly), so I really like the textural contrast of linguine cooked al dente.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces linguine .
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ginger fresh minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 lb bay scallops .
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1/8 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depends on how spicy you want it)
- salt pepper &
- 2 scallions sliced thin on the bias
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- wedges lemon for serving
Steps
- Boil a large pot of salted water and cook 8oz of linguine according to package directions.
- When the past is almost done, heat the oil over medium high heat until hot. Add the ginger and garlic and swirl around to coat with oil.
- Add the scallops in a single layer and brown on one side. Add the garam masala and cayenne pepper and quickly stir-fry together (scallops should still be plump).
- Transfer to a bowl and add the scallions and cilantro. Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Serve immediately with lemon or lime wedges.
