The heat is on for the most romantic day of the year! Love it up with this simple but sophisticated seafood dish: the perfect special supper for anybody you enjoy sharing the love with on any day of the year, bringing a classic combination of sweet seafood, silky pasta, subtly smoky red pepper and an indulgent creamy sauce together in perfect harmony.
Ingredients (serves 2)
175g linguine
1 tbsp olive oil
200g scallops (defrosted if frozen)
180g raw king prawns (defrosted if frozen)
100g roasted red peppers (from a jar), chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or grated
½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
4 tbsp dry white vermouth or dry rosé wine.
4 tbsp double cream
A generous handful of finely-chopped flat leaf parsley
To serve: finely-chopped parsley; finely-grated parmesan; fresh lemon wedges
Method
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep, non-stick frying pan and sear the scallops for 1-2 minutes (turning just once) until golden on the outside. Lift from the pan and transfer to a warm plate while you sauté the prawns until pink and cooked through. Add the cooked prawns to the cooked scallops and set to one side.
Add a drizzle more olive oil followed by the chopped red pepper, crushed garlic and chilli flakes to the warm pan and sauté (stirring continuously) for around a minute or until fragrant — but don’t let the garlic brown! Add the vermouth or wine and bubble gently until reduced by half. Add the double cream, season to taste and bring to a very gentle simmer.
Add the cooked, drained pasta and 1-2 tbs of the pasta cooking water to the pan and toss well to coat the pasta in the sauce. Add the cooked scallops and prawns and toss again until all the ingredients have heated through. Serve immediately in warm bowls topped with more freshly-chopped parsley, more freshly-ground black pepper, a dusting of finely-grated parmesan and fresh lemon wedges for spritzing.