Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops

Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops

by | Jan 11, 2021 | FISH & SEAFOOD, PASTA | 2 comments

Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops

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A shallow bowl filled with Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops and pieces of crusty bread.

Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops is a wonderful homemade dinner ready in about 40 minutes when using jarred roasted red peppers. Roasted red peppers are widely available at most grocery stores and they make wonderful sauces and dips. For this recipe, the roasted red peppers are pureed with onion, garlic, herbs, and cream for a luscious sauce that hugs the spaghetti nicely and makes an easy yet delicious dinner.

Dry spaghetti, onion, garlic and salt arranged around a black pot in preparation for Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops.

It’s not always easy being creative in the kitchen and coming up with a wide range of meal options for you and your family, especially if you have picker eaters. Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops has a blended sauce that is smooth, creamy and mild in taste, making it appealing to many.  Not a fan of scallops? Try the recipe with shrimp, cooked chicken chunks or just an extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Other kinds of pasta like linguine or fettuccine will work well too, so use up what you have. The creamy sauce can be made up to two days in advance and warmed gently on the stove before adding the scallops. But I find little need to make it ahead of time when it comes together quickly as it is. But if you are all about the meal prep, I would suggest making a double batch of sauce and freezing half for use later. You just can’t beat meals made from scratch and this is a great dinner to have on rotation.  Enjoy!

Red Pepper sauce in a stainless steel sauce pan ready for cooked spaghetti for Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops.

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A shallow bowl filled with Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops and pieces of crusty bread.

Author:  Compelled to Cook

A shallow bowl filled with Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops and pieces of crusty bread.
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Red Pepper Spaghetti with Scallops

Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 small onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 340ml jar roasted red peppers, drained about 8 ounces
  • 12 ounces spaghetti
  • 12 ounces bay scallops, patted dry
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
  • as needed chopped fresh basil

Instructions

  • Heat a large pot of well-salted water to a simmer. Add spaghetti and cook according to package directions, about 8-9 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.
  • Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft but not browned, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the white wine and reduce for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, herbs and spices and continue to cook until the liquid has evaporated.
  • Pour mixture into a blender along with roasted red peppers. Puree until smooth, about 30 seconds.
  • Pour the sauce back into the pan and whisk in cream. Heat to a simmer and reduce for 1-2 minutes. Add the scallops and cook for about 3 minutes (depending on size) stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and adjust salt to taste. Add the cooked spaghetti and Parmesan cheese tossing to coat in sauce, adding a splash of pasta water if needed.
  • Divide among serving dishes and garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Notes

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Kohlrabi Crab Cakes

Kohlrabi Crab Cakes

by | Jul 13, 2018 | APPETIZERS, FISH & SEAFOOD, LUNCH, VEGETABLES, VEGETARIAN | 0 comments

Are you growing kohlrabi in your garden this year? Fresh kohlrabi is amazing, and with it, you’ll be able to treat yourself to these lovely Kohlrabi Crab Cakes.  They make a wonderful lunch served with dill sauce and a green salad. Not home for lunch most days?  Try them as an appetizer, or top with a poached egg for a heartier meal.

If you happen to have a little fresh kohlrabi left, trim, peel and cut into sticks.  Dunk the fresh sticks in leftover dill sauce or your favourite veggie dip.   You will love how crisp and refreshing the kohlrabi is and wonder why you haven’t been munching on it sooner.  Kohlrabi is also great in stews, soup, gratins, and salads.

Recipe source for Kohlrabi Crab Cakes:  Compelled To Cook

 

Kohlrabi Crab Cakes
Print Recipe
    Servings Prep Time
    10 3-4" cakes 25-30 minutes
    Cook Time
    20 minutes
    Servings Prep Time
    10 3-4" cakes 25-30 minutes
    Cook Time
    20 minutes
    Kohlrabi Crab Cakes
    Print Recipe
      Servings Prep Time
      10 3-4" cakes 25-30 minutes
      Cook Time
      20 minutes
      Servings Prep Time
      10 3-4" cakes 25-30 minutes
      Cook Time
      20 minutes
      Ingredients
      Dill Sauce
      Kohlrabi Crab Cakes
      Servings: 3-4" cakes
      Instructions
      Dill Sauce
      1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and keep chilled until ready to use.
      Kohlrabi Crab Cakes
      1. Trim ends off kohlrabi and peel with a vegetable peeler. Grate using a large grater and add to a separate bowl. Sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry with a paper towel. Using the same large grater, peel and grate potato and pat dry with a paper towel. Add to kohlrabi.
      2. In a large bowl stir together egg, dill, dijon mustard, celery salt and pepper. Stir in drained crab meat, prepped and dried grated kohlrabi and potato, bread crumbs, flour and green onions.
      3. Add about 1 tbsp of oil to a large non stick skillet and heat over medium heat until hot. Form approximately 1/4 cup of batter into a 3-4" round patty. Flatten as much as you can while still retaining its shape. Pan fry for 5-6 minutes per side, adjusting heat if necessary. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in a low oven while cooking any remaining cakes. Serve immediately with dill sauce.

      Chilled Corn and Crab Soup

      Chilled Corn and Crab Soup

      by | Jul 27, 2017 | APPETIZERS, FISH & SEAFOOD, SOUP | 0 comments

      Silky and cool, this gorgeous soup makes a delightful first course for those scorching hot days when nobody wants anything heavy but everybody wants to  eat on the patio. Chilled Corn and Crab Soup has a lovely corn flavour that’s married up with fennel and swirled with sour cream. It not only looks pretty, it’s darn delicious. The crab salad swimming in the middle is also adorned with fennel and fennel fronds for a crisp and refreshing spoonful. Enjoy!

      Recipe Source for Chilled Corn and Crab Soup:  Compelled To Cook

       

      Chilled Corn and Crab Soup
      Print Recipe
        Servings Prep Time
        5 cups 20 minutes
        Cook Time Passive Time
        40 minutes 1+ hour
        Servings Prep Time
        5 cups 20 minutes
        Cook Time Passive Time
        40 minutes 1+ hour
        Chilled Corn and Crab Soup
        Print Recipe
          Servings Prep Time
          5 cups 20 minutes
          Cook Time Passive Time
          40 minutes 1+ hour
          Servings Prep Time
          5 cups 20 minutes
          Cook Time Passive Time
          40 minutes 1+ hour
          Ingredients
          Corn Soup
          Crab Salad
          Servings: cups
          Instructions
          Corn Soup
          1. In a large pot melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, fennel and garlic. Sauté until starting to soften but not brown, about 10 minutes. While vegetables are cooking prepare corn by peeling off corn husks and removing silk. Stand corn on end and remove kernels by running a large knife along the body, cutting at the base of the kernels. Trim ends off bare cobs and cut cob in half. Add kernels and cobs to pot along with vegetable broth, water, thyme sprigs and 1/2 tsp salt.
          2. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove cobs and thyme sprigs and discard. Allow to cool at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 tsp salt and adjust as needed, remembering that cold foods tend to taste saltier than warm. Using a blender, blend soup in batches until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh sieve, pressing against the sides to extract all the soup. Cover and chill until cool, stirring occasionally.
          3. Scoop approximately 1/4 cup of crab salad into the centre of shallow serving bowls. Ladle soup around crab salad and drizzle with sour cream, swirling into soup slightly. Serve immediately.
          Crab Salad
          1. Gently stir together all ingredients. Cover and keep chilled until ready to use. Can be made up to several hours ahead.
          Recipe Notes

          Yields a generous 5 cups of soup and will serve 6 as a first course or 4 servings as a main dish. Both the soup and crab salad are best if served slightly chilled but not cold. If both have been completely chilled, allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

          Ahi Tuna with Edamame Wasabi Relish

          Ahi Tuna with Edamame Wasabi Relish

          by | Jul 21, 2017 | FISH & SEAFOOD | 0 comments

          What I love about eating sushi is the little ritual of swirling a dab of wasabi into soy sauce, then methodically dunking each piece to get just the right amount pressed into the crevices. Savouring, getting that nasal clearing heat and repeating until I’m stuffed. Ahi Tuna with Edamame Wasabi Relish gives that same soy wasabi punch but with some added crunch. The edamame are perfect in the little soy bath and give a great texture and crunch to each bite of tuna. Simple, healthy and delicious.

          For the Ahi Tuna with Edamame Wasabi Relish I recommend that you hand chop the edamame as apposed to using a food processor as it tends to break them down just a little too much. I used frozen edamame pods and microwaved them as per the box directions less 20 seconds, then dunked them in ice water to cool quickly and prevent overcooking. They were perfect. I believe this relish would also be delicious stirred into steamed rice or on top of a mild white fish like halibut. Enjoy!

          Recipe source for Ahi Tuna with Edamame Wasabi Relish:  Compelled To Cook

           

          Ahi Tuna with Edamame Wasabi Relish
          Print Recipe
            Servings Prep Time
            4 people 20 minutes
            Cook Time Passive Time
            6-7 minutes 0-2 hours
            Servings Prep Time
            4 people 20 minutes
            Cook Time Passive Time
            6-7 minutes 0-2 hours
            Ahi Tuna with Edamame Wasabi Relish
            Print Recipe
              Servings Prep Time
              4 people 20 minutes
              Cook Time Passive Time
              6-7 minutes 0-2 hours
              Servings Prep Time
              4 people 20 minutes
              Cook Time Passive Time
              6-7 minutes 0-2 hours
              Ingredients
              Edamame Wasabi Relish
              Ahi Tuna
              Servings: people
              Instructions
              Edamame Wasabi Relish
              1. Coarsely hand chop edamame and stir together with remaining ingredients, cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
              Ahi Tuna
              1. Whisk together ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic. Pour over tuna, turning tuna to coat all sides. Cover and chill for up to 2 hours preferably but can be cooked immediately.
              2. Heat a non stick grill pan or BBQ to medium high. Cook tuna 2 minutes per side. Remove and allow to rest for 2-3 minutes. Cut into 1/4" slices. Top with Edamame Wasabi Relish and serve immediately.
              Recipe Notes

              I used a 10.5 ounce bag of frozen edamame pods, cooked 2 1/2 minutes in the bag.  Removed from bag and plunged into ice water to stop cooking. Once cool, shell edamame and discard pods.

              Potato Chip Shrimp

              Potato Chip Shrimp

              by | Apr 14, 2017 | APPETIZERS, FISH & SEAFOOD | 0 comments

              What flavour will you choose?  With Potato Chip Shrimp there are plenty Potato Chip varieties and flavours to temp you.  My first instinct was dill pickle of course, because to me it is reminiscent of tartar sauce with dill pickles and a good pairing with shrimp.  BBQ, sour cream and onion or salt and vinegar are also great flavours to work with.  I find that BBQ on its own is a good all round coating that comes out nicely seasoned and would make a good coating for most anything. You really can’t go wrong with any flavour that you use as the potato chips in general make a surprisingly thick and crispy coating.

              What I found oddly interesting about using potato chips in this fashion is that the potato chips have trouble being ground down really fine.  Which is odd, because chips will turn into micro dust if you eat them in bed or on the sofa? Secondly, a deep fried potato chip coating isn’t greasy as one might think since you are essentially deep frying a deep fried product.  You will be pleased with the results.

              It seems the oil already in the potato chip prevents them from really grinding down as mentioned earlier but this same oil allows you to really pack on the coating as it tends to stick together well.  So the next time you’re looking for a great party snack, don’t just put those potato chips out in a bowl.  Turn them into something worthy for your gathering of friends.  Enjoy!

              Try these Potato Chip Shrimp flavour options:

              BBQ with the addition of chipotle powder

              Sour cream and onion with the addition of onion powder

              Salt and vinegar with the addition of  cracked black pepper

              Ranch with the addition of dried parsley and onion powder

              Cheddar with the addition of chili powder

               

              Recipe source for Potato Chip Shrimp:  Compelled To Cook

               

               

              Potato Chip Shrimp
              Print Recipe
                Servings Prep Time
                20-24 shrimp 10 minutes
                Cook Time
                12-16 minutes
                Servings Prep Time
                20-24 shrimp 10 minutes
                Cook Time
                12-16 minutes
                Potato Chip Shrimp
                Print Recipe
                  Servings Prep Time
                  20-24 shrimp 10 minutes
                  Cook Time
                  12-16 minutes
                  Servings Prep Time
                  20-24 shrimp 10 minutes
                  Cook Time
                  12-16 minutes
                  Ingredients
                  Servings: shrimp
                  Instructions
                  1. Combine potato chips, 3tbsp flour, dill, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until chips have broken down into small crumbs. (the chips with only process so far, so don't be afraid of over processing) Remove coating to a shallow bowl and set aside.
                  2. Prepare breading station by adding remaining 3 tbsp of flour to a shallow bowl and seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. In a third shallow bowl whisk eggs with milk or water. Arrange breading station starting with flour, eggs and potato chip coating.
                  3. In a large Dutch oven, pot or deep fryer, heat a minimum of 4" of oil to 350℉ using a candy/deep fry thermometer. Pat shrimp dry with a paper towel and toss in flour to coat. Shake off 6-7 shrimp and add to egg wash bowl and toss to coat. Remove shrimp one by one to coating bowl and press both sides of shrimp into coating. The coating will adhere nicely when gently pressed on. Place prepared shrimp on a plate or small baking sheet. Repeat with remaining shrimp until all are coated. Drop 5-6 shrimp into hot oil and cook for approximately 3 minutes until golden. Remove with slotted scoop to a paper towel lined plate. Continue with remaining shrimp. Serve immediately with your favourite tartar sauce.
                  Recipe Notes

                  -I used Old Dutch Dill Pickle with the addition of a little dried dill, however your favourite brand and/or flavour can be used as is.

                  -substitute all purpose flour for cornstarch if wanting gluten free.