In a perfect world one does not crowd a pan. I was making scallops in brown butter with capers and lemon for 7 people. Probably it’s a dish that works better for 2 or 4. I was supposed to brown the scallops. This is easier said than done. It’s a nice thought but scallops are hard to brown, they give off a lot of moisture. And I had 6 people sitting, waiting for dinner. They were not exactly pounding their cutlery on the table, but I felt the pressure.
Browning required that I do them 5 at a time. I didn’t wait. I threw them in the pan, par-sautéd them, then browned the butter, added the capers and lemon, threw the scallops back in to finish, then tossed the pasta with the butter-scallop liquid. It went about as quickly as that.
The dish was not as pretty as it might have been but it was amazing.
The bread shot is gratuitous.
It would have been prettier with less pasta. I overestimated…as usual.