Last Night's Dinner

I finally got myself over to The Seafood Shop (356 Montauk Highway, 537-0633) for some local scallops. With an old Marcella Hazan recipe in the back of his mind, my husband cooked them with olive oil, garlic, and hot red pepper flakes, and then added some white wine to the pan. The toasted panko bread crumbs take the place of cheese (Marcella would never put cheese on top of scallops). Here's our recipe:

Peconic Bay Scallops over Spaghetti
Serves 4 to 6

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces spaghetti
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 pound Peconic Bay scallops, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley


1. Place the bread crumbs, 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1 tablespooon olive oil in a small skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until golden. Transfer to a small bowl to cool.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the spaghetti until just tender.
2. While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, hot red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the scallops in one layer and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, turn the scallops, and continue to cook until they're just cooked through, about one minute longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water, and return the pasta to the pot. Stir in the scallops and sauce. Divide among pasta bowls, sprinkle each portion with bread crumbs, and serve immediately.