Angel Hair Pasta with Scallops and Chorizo

I love scallops.  They are right up there with shrimp, crab and halibut as being amongst some of my favorite seafood dishes.  I love them cooked just about any way possible.  In fact, to date, I have never come across a scallop recipe I didn’t like.  The larger sea scallops are my favorites, although I do like the smaller bay scallops as well.   They both have slightly different flavors and both are good in a wide variety of dishes.  I tend to use the smaller bay scallops more for salads, but that is just me.  We love this recipe and I make it quite often when we have both sea scallops and chorizo sausage in the house.   This dish combines the sweet, delicate flavors of the sea scallops with the bold spicy flavors of the chorizo to make the perfect combination.

Angel Hair Pasta with Scallops and Chorizo

cooked angel hair pasta

1 1/2 lbs sea scallops

1 lb ground chorizo sausage

1 large shallot, sliced very thin

1 heaping TBSP garlic, minced

mushrooms, sliced

spinach, chopped

grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in 1/2 ( you can use any kind of tomatoes you like.  Roma tomatoes work just fine as well. Or mix and match, as I did.  I used grape tomatoes and small komato tomatoes.)

1 can chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

red pepper flakes to taste

salt & pepper to taste

Parmagiano cheese (optional)

olive oil as needed

 

Cook your sausage completely, then remove from the pan and set aside.  In the same pan, with the chorizo drippings, added additional olive oil as needed, cook your scallops for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned on all sides.  Remove and set aside.  Add your shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for about 2 minutes, or until the shallots are translucent.  Then add your wine and make sure to get all your drippings mixed in.  Reduce until about 1/2 of the liquid is gone.  This only takes a couple of minutes at most.  Add the chicken broth, spinach, mushrooms, and salt & pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for about 5-7 minutes.  Add your scallops, chorizo and tomatoes.  Adjust the seasoning if needed and serve over the angel hair pasta.  Top with Parmagiano cheese if you desire.