Squid Ink Tagliolini with Bay Scallops and White Wine

Squid Ink Tagliolini with Bay Scallops and White Wine

Since visiting the Redmond farmer's market about a month ago, two have opened up closer to me in the city of Kirkland and I was able to get over to one that opens on Wednesday afternoons recently and picked up some arugula and basil, among other items.

Inspiration Behind the Dish

One of the venders present was a company called La Pasta LLC that was selling fresh pasta. I first dismissed their booth because I can make fresh pasta at home but when I passed by it again, I noticed they sold squid ink tagliolini so I made the purchase because I haven't been able to find squid ink locally. Yes, I've looked.

Dish Details

The Flavor Bible doesn't address squid ink directly but it does address squid and many of the foods that are complementary to shellfish also pair well with squid such as lemon, garlic, white wine, parsley and butter. I also googled other squid ink pasta dishes and the general sense was to use more seafood with a very simple sauce, so I used a linguini and clams dish from page 113 of Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking by Michael Chiarello with Janet Fletcher as an inspiration but this is a Crazy Foodie Stunts original. I'd imagine that a version of this dish would be common at trattorias along the Italian coasts.

Ingredients

1/2 pound bay scallops
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound squid ink tagliolini
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Method

1. Fire a large pot of well salted pot of water over high heat. Separately while you wait for the water to boil, pat the scallops dry with paper towels, then season them with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the scallops to sear, approximately 2 minutes per side. Remove the scallops to a plate and set aside, then add the garlic and sauté until it starts to brown, an additional minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the fond from the bottom of the pan. While the sauce is reducing, drop the pasta into the boiling water. (La Pasta LLC instructs a 3 minute boil but I boiled my tagliolini for only 2 minutes). Drain the pasta and add to the simmering wine, then toss with the butter until it melts. Serve into warm bowls garnished with the flat leaf parsley.

Final Thoughts

If squid ink pasta proves difficult to source, you could easily substitute egg linguine but if you're going to use dried pasta, start the boiling process before searing the scallops because dried pasta will need to boil longer. That being said, fresh pasta isn't really boiled, so much as it's blanched because it's normally just a minute or two until it floats to the top of the pot, which is the indicator that fresh pasta is cooked. Overall, Mrs. Stuntman wasn't sure what to think of the black pasta I served her but I appreciated the briny flavor the pasta added to the dish.

La Pasta LLC is so small, it doesn't even have it's own website but encourages you to 'Like' their facebook page. Unfortunately, they also are unable to ship outside the Puget Sound area. This is fresh (i.e. perishable) pasta, folks and they can't guarantee the quality of their product if they were to send it across the country. Instead, I highly recommend seeking out local pasta producers at a farmer's market near you.

If you do live in the area, they have storefronts in the Wedgewood neighborhood of North Seattle at 9118 35th Ave NE and in downtown Kirkland at 340 Parkplace Center in addition to summer booths at Columbia City Farmer's Market and Kirkland Wednesday Market on Wednesdays; Bellevue Farmer's Market and on Thursdays; Juanita Friday Market and Phinney Farmer's Market on Fridays; Bellevue Farmer's Market and University District Farmer's Market on Saturdays and lastly Capitol Hill Broadway Farmer's Market, Lake Forest Park Farmer's Market, Mercer Island Farmer's Market and West Seattle Farmer's Market on Sundays.