Ten June: On the Burner: Scallop Pasta & Shrimp Salad

Thank you all so much for your sweet words on yesterday's bathroom vanity makeover post! I am still hoping that this week will be the big final reveal of the entire bathroom... I'll keep you posted! : )

Last weekend, I decided it was high time that I utilized the Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That? book that the hubs got me for Christmas. So I pulled a recipe that looked amazing- Lobster and Shells (which you can actually find here). David was craving scallops, so I substituted those for the lobster and I think it worked out well. Here is my take on Ina's recipe!

Scallops & Shells

INGREDIENTS

-salt and pepper

-olive oil

-1 lb. wheat pasta shells

-6 cups of corn

-3 to 4 sliced scallions

- 2 chopped yellow, red or orange bell peppers

- 2 pints sliced cherry tomatoes

-I threw in a few tomatillos because they were in our fridge

-2 lbs. of bay scallops

- 1 1/2 cups mayonaise

-1 cup sour cream

-1/2 cup of lemon juice

-fresh dill (to my chagrin, I left out b/c D hates dill!)

*was using basil for another project, oops!

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt and some olive oil.

2. Add the pasta and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Add the corn to the pasta and cook it for another 2 minutes, until the corn is tender.

3. Drain the pasta and corn together in a colander and pour them into a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the scallions, diced pepper, tomatoes, and scallops, tossing gently to combine.
Allow to cool slightly.

5. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper until smooth. Pour over the pasta and mix well to bind the ingredients. Stir in the dill.

6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for up to 6 hours to allow the flavors to develop. Check the seasonings and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Yes, it tasted as good as it looks!

I also added one more dish to the mix- I guess we ~~are always~~ were hungry that night!

It's just a really basic shrimp salad that I kind of made up as I went.

Lemon Shrimp Salad

INGREDIENTS

-1 lb. bay shrimp (deveined, no shells)

-one lemon

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

-basil leaves

-2 garden tomatoes

-arugula

DIRECTIONS

1. In a mixing bowl, zest about 3/4 of the lemon and then squeeze the remainder of the juice into the bowl. Add 3 tblsp. of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

2. Mix the shrimp with the lemon marinade so that it is completely coated.

3. Cook shrimp on the grill or saute in a pan, until pink throughout.

4. Toss the shrimp with arugala, tomatoes and basil leaves.

I told you it was simple! But gooood.

Add a bottle of white (plus one of my favorite dessert's- Cassie's strawberry cake) and we had the perfect little summer seafood meal. Have you cooked anything delish lately?