Scallops with Rich Tarragon Tomato Sauce & Linguini

Tarragon is a wonderful, aromatic herb with a lovely flavour somewhat like anise and basil combined, and a hint of lemon. It marries itself beautifully with chicken, fish, seafood, and egg dishes, and is used in many world cuisines. Often used in Mediterranean and French cooking, tarragon is a key component of two well-known herb preparations: “herbes de Provence” (where it’s combined with thyme, rosemary, oregano, savoury, marjoram, and lavender), and in the French “fines herbes” (fine herbs mixture where it is combined with chives, parsley and chervil).  ”Fines herbes” is an herb mixture used in many types of dishes and sauces to impart a delicate bouquet.

Sauteed sea scallops nestle on a bed of linguini fini topped with a rich tarragon-flavoured tomato garlic sauce.

I particularly love tarragon with tomato-based sauces and seafood ♥ So last evening I created this rich tomato sauce finished with a hint of heavy cream, and served it on a bed of linguini fini garnished with large, plump, sea scallops quickly sautéed in butter until golden. Wonderful!

You can prepare the sauce ahead of time and add the cream once you’ve reheated it, just before cooking the seafood. This sauce also tastes delicious with monkfish medalions, baby clams, or sauteed garlic prawns (large shrimp).

Cooking the sofrito for the sauce.

Rich Tarragon Tomato Sauce:

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Gently simmer the sauce until the rich flavours have developed and the sauce has thickened.

• Heat the oil over medium-heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, and add the next 3 ingredients. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, for 10 – 13 minutes or so or until the onion just starts to colour.
• Lower the heat to low, and add the garlic. Cook while stirring 30 seconds.
• Add the tarragon and herbes de Provence, stirring well, and continue cooking for a minute being careful not to colour the garlic.
• Now while stirring, add the dry vermouth, the chicken stock powder, and the water and bring the heat back up to medium. Cook for a minute or two.
• Drain the chopped tomatoes and add to the pan. Add the seasonings and tarragon, and stir well. Raise the heat and stir until the sauce starts to bubble, then immediately lower to medium-low. Cook for an hour or more, stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened. It should look rich and thick, and the colour should be deeper.
• You can reserve the sauce until later or keep it well covered in the fridge for several days at this point.

Finishing the Sauce and Preparing the Pasta and Seafood:

• Warm four large plates in the oven. §
• Place a very large pot of water on the stove, adding 15 ml salt and bring to the boil. Dry the scallops well with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley and set aside. Add the pasta to the rapidly boiling water and bring back to the boil while stirring. Linguini fini will cook in 6 minutes, or slightly longer for regular linguini.
• If the sauce was refrigerated, heat it through completely over medium heat stirring frequently, before adding the cream. As soon as it starts to bubble, lower the heat to med-low, add the cream and stir for one minute, and lower heat to low. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Heat a very large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over med-high heat. Add butter and oil. As soon as the butter starts to foam, add the scallops leaving ample space between each. DO NOT STIR OR MOVE THEM or they will start to boil! Sprinkle with sea salt and coarsely ground pepper. The butter will start to colour; that’s perfect, but do not let it burn! After 2 minutes, using long metal tongues, turn the scallops over, starting with the 1^st scallop you added to the pan (the scallops should be golden brown). The pasta should be ready now.
• After 1 minute, reduce heat to medium, divide the drained pasta between the warm plates, and top each with a generous helping of sauce. Nestle 3 scallops on the sauce in each plate, then using a soupspoon, drizzle the scallops on each plate with about 15 ml (1 Tbs) of the scallop cooking juices (the butter and the caramelised bits). Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Serve sith a steamed green vegetable, or follow with a salad of peppery rocket and parmesan.

Notes:

• * Knorr Instant Chicken Stock Mix is sold in a small 150g tin (can) with a green plastic lid for preserving freshness. I find it has a fresher flavour than the stock cubes, and it’s so easy to use. Naturally, if you have some fresh chicken stock, just reduce it a little and use 60 ml of this instead of the stock powder and the 60 ml water.
• § I like using deep bistro-sized, wide-rimmed pasta bowls.
• If you wish to serve green vegetables to accompany this dish, make sure they are ready to cook before you start cooking the pasta, and start cooking so they will be ready just before serving.
• Do not serve parmesan or other cheeses on this dish.