Snappy Scallops

We had a massively busy weekend. Friday night was a big fancy work party at the Ritz-Carlton, Saturday was Sarah's end of summer pool party in the day and the the Graviss' Grilled Pizza party at night. I was so exhausted from the hectic fun-packed weekend and I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen tonight. The following recipe was the perfect solution. I was able to throw it together in less than 20 minutes and it was healthy, light and delicious.

Seared Scallops with Fresh Linguine and Romano Cheese
Cooking Light August 2008

Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated linguine
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (about 1 1/2 ounces) finely grated fresh Romano cheese, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
4 lemon wedges

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons pasta water. Combine pasta, reserved 2 tablespoons pasta water, 1/4 cup cheese, 1 tablespoon oil, chopped basil, and pepper in a large bowl; toss well.

2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle salt evenly over scallops;

add scallops to pan. Cook 1 minute on each side or until golden.

3. Place 1 cup pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with about 3 scallops and 1 1/2 teaspoons remaining cheese. Serve with lemon wedges.