Scallops Gemelli Pasta in Tomato Sauce with Crusty Bread & Garlic Aioli

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to packaging instructions.

Peel and mince garlic. Finely dice onion. Zest and juice lemons. Pat scallops dry with a paper towel, salt and pepper both sides.

Preheat a large skillet on medium high heat to very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and scallops. You might have to cook the scallops in batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. Brown the scallops a couple minutes on each side until caramelized. Remove the scallops from the skillet to a plate and set aside. Keep all the juices and brown bits in the skillet.

Once scallops are finished cooking, make sauce. To the same skillet add diced onions and garlic, scraping up all of the drippings from the cooking of the scallops. Cook onions until softened.

Once onions have softened, add to the skillet canned undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup of water, lemon zest and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring the ingredients to a gentle boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

Make bread. Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the bread lengthwise. On the cut side of the bread brush with olive oil. Place bread in the broiler just until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. For our easy baguette recipe click here: French Baguettes

Make aioli. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, paprika, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Cut bread into desired sized pieces and spread with aioli.

Drain cooked pasta and toss with the sauce.

Add scallops to the pasta and sauce, tossing gently until combined. Garnish with parsley. Plate and serve with grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!