Pasta with Pistachio Pesto, Scallops and Grapefruit

Serves 4 

1.5 pounds fresh scallops (never use frozen, too much water)

1 pound pasta, preferably fresh

1 large red grapefruit, cut int 1/2" dice

For Pesto

1/2 cup unsalted pistachios + 1 T ground into a coarse powder

1/2 cup tightly packed mint leaves

.75 ounces (small package) tarragon

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup EVOO

1 tsp mint jelly, mint sauce, or other mint-flavored thing (optional)

Salt & black pepper to taste

Pulse 1/2 cup of pistachios in food processor till coarsely chopped. Add in garlic and pulse just to disperse. Add in mint and tarragon and pulse till evenly chopped, but not too fine. Add in EVOO, pulsing to do so. Taste, and add salt and pepper. Add mint sauce, mint jelly, or honey to adjust flavor (some times it's tough to get the mint flavor to come through. 

For Fish 

Remove muscle (small piece of meat on side--if you don't see it, it's already fallen off). Pat each scallop dry with a paper towel, and place on a plate with a paper towel to continue to allow to dry. You want as little water as possible, as it will make them caramelize better. 

Bring a 12" or 14" cast iron or non-stick skillet to smoking--no oil. Add scallops and sear on each side for 1 minute. 

Assembly

Cook pasta and immediately toss with pesto. Taste, then add salt, it will need a lot of salt. Don't add all the salt it needs, as some guests may have lower salt tolerances. Be sure to put salt on the table, so people can add more to their taste. I stress this, because this dish is totally tasteless if you don't add salt to bring out the flavor of the pesto. 

Evenly divide scallops and grapefruit among the four pasta bowls. Sprinkle all with ground pistachios. If you want cheese on this, use pecorino romano, not paremsan.