Lime and Green Tea Scallops with Pasta and Peas
The drying of the green tea, lime zest, and salt mixture can be time consuming, but the leftover mixture is an excellent seasoning for any grilled or sauteed seafood dish.
1 h 20 m 2Ingredients
- 24 large sea scallops
- 1 tbsp. olive oil, plus 1 tsp. for pasta
- 3 tbsp. green pekoe tea leaves
- 2 limes, zested and juiced
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 8 oz. linguine or spaghetti
- 8 oz. sugar snap peas or snow peas
- � c. white wine
- � c. heavy cream
Directions
Put green tea, lime zest, and salt into mortar and pestle. Grind or pound until finely crumbled (powdery) and mixed. Spread on sheet of aluminum foil and put in a low oven about 1 hour to dry.
Cook pasta in salted boiling water. Add peas to pasta water during the last 3 min. Drain pasta and peas, toss with a tiny bit of olive oil, and keep warm.
Pat scallops dry if wet. Heat olive oil in large skillet until shimmery, not smoking.
Sprinkle both sides of scallops with the green tea mixture. Saut� in skillet, 2-3 min. each side or until slightly browned and crusty and cooked through. Remove to a plate and keep warm.
In the skillet used to sautee the scallops, add white wine and lime juice, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in heavy cream and 2 tsp. green tea mixture. Simmer until hot and slightly thickened.
Divide pasta and peas on 4 dinner plates. Top with 6 scallops each. Drizzle with warmed cream sauce. Sprinkle a pinch of green tea mixture atop each plate if desired.
Prep time: 1 hour Cook time: 20 min.
