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fettuccine and scallops with lemon and breadcrumbs

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The delicacy of scallops melds perfectly with the delicacy of fettuccine. We use the more delicate sea scallops, but bay scallops also work of course.

for the sauce:

four tablespoons olive oil
two medium cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
one cup fresh breadcrumbs
one and one-half pound sea scallops
five tablespoons of unsalted butter (four and one)
salt and freshly ground pepper
two teaspoons lemon zest
two teaspoons chopped thyme
one tablespoon lemon juice

for the pasta:

one pound freshly-made egg pasta, fettuccine.

Over medium heat, put the olive oil in a sauté pan, add the garlic and cook one minute. Add the breadcrumbs and sauté for 1-2 minutes, letting the breadcrumbs brown slightly but not too much. Set aside.

(note: really fresh as opposed to store-bought packaged bread crumbs are a real treat. Easy to do. Take a few slices of good bread, toast them lightly under the broiler, and then run them through the food processor. The results are well worth the slight effort).

In another sauté pan, over medium high heat, put in four tablespoons of butter. When melted, add the scallops and a half teaspoon salt. Cook, but do not brown. Scallops are done perfectly when they just turn white. Do not overcook: one doesn't want tough scallops.

Add the zest, the lemon juice and the thyme, and stir. Set aside.

Bring 4-5 quarts of water to a raging boil, add a tablespoon of salt, add the pasta and cook until just short of al dente. (Testing by pulling out a strand of pasta with a wooden pasta fork, and tasting). When the pasta is just short of al dente, reserve one cup of the pasta water. Drain.

Return the sauté pan with the scallops to medium heat. Add the drained pasta to the pan. Stir. Add the bread crumbs, and another tablespoon of butter and mix well. Then add from the cup of reserved pasta liquid, using as much as necessary to make the dish just moist enough. Stir again.

Serve immediately on warmed plates. A touch of parsley on the serving adds color.