Spaghetti Squash and Scallops

Spring is upon us and this squash & scallops recipe is light, refreshing and surprisingly easy to prepare any night of the week.

So, we were members of a CSA this past summer (which was super wonderful) and our veggie boxes toward the end of last season contained lots of great squashes.  The squash is one of those veggies though that kind of lingers around our house because there is some extra prep work involved, and I never really know how to cut them, what to do with the skin, etc.  For me, cutting a squash in half, scooping out the seeds and roasting it is by far my preferred way to prepare them.  It’s easy, it’s not that messy and with just a little olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, the flavor just shines.

Everyone has talked about how great spaghetti squash is.  So, I finally (FINALLY) picked my last, lonely squash out of the box a few weeks ago and it was surprisingly still firm and waiting to be enjoyed. I wouldn’t normally recommend keeping your squash for that long, but as long as it is firm with no soft spots or anything funky growing on it, you should be good to go.

I had limited ingredients to begin with so I searched the web for a recipe that was simple and could use what I had on hand.  Martha Stewart has 11 spaghetti squash recipes here and I ended up making my own version of her Spaghetti Squash and Scallops.  I had scallops in my freezer, and I had leeks, and I also had the ingredients to make the buerre blanc sauce.  Her recipe also called for shallots which I didn’t have on hand so I substituted with a red pepper.  While her recipe I am sure is delicious, I wanted something with a little more oomph so here is what I came up with and it was an A+ dinner.  Best of all, it was super simple to make with little prep work.

Ingredients:

1 small to medium spaghetti squash cut in half length-wise and seeded

2 TBSP olive oil

2 leeks white and green parts thinly sliced

1/2 red pepper seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise to create strips

10 large sea scallops

3/4 cup dry white wine (or water)

2 TBSP butter (or Earth Balance)

Salt & freshly ground pepper

To make the sauce for the scallops you will need:

1 TSP lemon juice or 1/2 of a freshly squeezed lemon

1/2 TSP curry powder

1/4 cup of dijon mustard

1/4 cup of honey

Method:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle some olive oil on the squash and rub it, being sure to liberally cover the squash flesh (not the outside skin).  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Place squash, cut-sides down, on an baking pan lines with parchment paper. Cook until easily pierced  with a fork, about 45 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce for the scallops by combining the lemon juice, curry powder, dijon mustard and honey in a separate bowl.  Stir until well combined, then place scallops in the sauce and marinate for at least 15 minutes.  I like to marinate the scallops while the squash is roasting, so almost 45 minutes.  You will be broiling the scallops, so prepare a pan for the broiler lined with foil.

3. When the squash is toward the end of roasting, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook leeks and red pepper, stirring, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

4. When the squash is finished roasting, take it out of the oven and turn on the broiler.  Using a fork, separate the flesh into strands, and transfer to a bowl; cover.  Place the scallops on their baking pan and put under the broiler for 5 minutes, or until opaque.

5. In the meantime, increase heat to medium high on the stove ; add wine or 3/4 cup water. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Cook until liquid has reduced by half. Slowly whisk in the butter until sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper.  I also squeeze a little lemon juice in too – this is optional.

6. Divide the squash and top with the leek & red pepper mixture evenly among dinner plates; top with scallops. Drizzle with the buerre blanc sauce. Serve.