First things first:  When Mrs. Butcher and I go on our fishing trips to the fish market, we always buy them out of what are called “scallop pieces.”  These are basically whole scallops that got cut the wrong way when harvesting so they don’t look perfect—and they sell for way less than the perfect scallops.  This time, however, we didn’t come home with nearly as many as before, so we’ll probably have to go on another fishing trip in a few months when the wild salmon are in season.

A caveat before we get started:  I had no idea if the pesto and lemon would work together or clash horribly.  The good news is that it worked, so here we are.  I have no measurements for this because I was just throwing shit together to see what would happen.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Fettucine

Olive Oil

Butter – about a ¼ of a stick

1 Small Onion, diced

Lemon Juice – about a ¼ cup

Salt and Pepper

2-4 Cloves Garlic, grated

Scallops – about a pound

Freshly grated Romano cheese

Pesto – about a ⅓ of a cup

Start by boiling your salted water and throwing the fettuccine in there.  Stir it around for the first couple of minutes because fettuccine likes to stick together.  Do not put oil in the water.  That shit is for amateurs.  Then stir the fettuccine every couple of minutes until done.

While the fettuccine is cooking, heat the oil and butter over medium and sauté the onions for a few minutes, until translucent. 

Then add the lemon juice, salt and pepper, garlic and scallops.  Turn off the heat but leave the pot on the burner and cover.  Stir every 30 seconds or so for 2-4 minutes or until scallops are done, then remove from the heat so they don’t become rubber balls.

When the fettuccine is ready, reserve about a ¼ to ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the rest out.  Mix the fettuccine with the reserved pasta water, pesto and Romano cheese until thoroughly mixed and slightly creamy looking. 

Then toss the scallop mixture in there and mix well.

Serve in bowls, preferably with a crusty sourdough bread (I didn’t have any on hand at the time and I am all the poorer for it.) and a little extra Romano on top.

This is awesome.  How do I know this, aside from my own unassailable sense of taste?  Because Mrs. Butcher has asked that it be made again in the near future.