Vegan Scallops with Miso Garlic Butter Pasta
Mar 10, 2021 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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Vegan Scallops with Miso Garlic Butter Pasta
These vegan scallops are an umami party with a miso garlic butter sauce and pasta to serve. This dish makes for a great weeknight meal (it’s one of those dishes that looks a lot harder to prepare than it really is) and it’s also a great dish to impress. Whether you’re entertaining, celebrating with a special meal or cooking for a date, this meal is truly an experience.
The vegan scallops are made from plants, and the recipe is 100% dairy free, gluten free and vegan. From start to finish you’ll only need about 30-40 minutes to prepare, and the steps are easy and straightforward. We’ll be boiling pasta, searing our “scallops” and then coating it all in a vegan buttery sauce.
What are Vegan Scallops Made Of?
We are going to be using king oyster mushrooms stems to create our vegan scallops. When sliced, the stem really resembles a scallop in both shape and texture–the stringy texture mimics that of a scallop. It’s an amazing option as mushrooms have a lot of umami flavour naturally, and they’re quite a nice blank canvas to dress up. Additionally, they’re fairly easy to find, unprocessed and don’t require much prep at all. Note: you can find king oyster mushrooms at most Asian grocery stores, and you want to look for mushrooms with a fairly girthy stem.
After serving these king oyster mushroom scallops to non-vegan family and friends, the feedback was that the experience as a whole was very scallop-like. The visuals had them fooled and the sauce really tied it together for them. Could you completely trick someone into thinking they’re true scallops? Perhaps for a moment, but either way, the bottom line is that they’re really freakin’ delicious mushrooms that both vegans and non vegans alike will love!
How to Sear Oyster Mushrooms to Look Like Scallops
To create realistic vegan scallops, I highly recommend the following steps.
- Start by brushing any dirt/debris off of your king oyster mushrooms. Try to avoid washing them with water for best results.
- Slice the stem into 1 or 1 1/2″ slices to create your vegan scallops.
- Score a criss cross pattern onto one side of each of your king oyster mushroom scallops.
- When ready to sear, make sure your pan is hot, vegan butter is melted and place your mushroom scallops score side face down. Let them sit, undisturbed, for a few minutes so that you achieve some nice colour. Flip and repeat on the other side.
- Finally, once you add your miso to the pan, tilt it on an angle and use a spoon to scoop the sauce and baste your scallops a few times while the sauce reduces.
Is this Recipe Gluten-free?
To make this dish gluten free, the only ingredient you’ll need to be wary of is the pasta. The mushroom scallops and the sauces are all naturally gluten free. I have found that the best pasta shape for this dish was spaghetti (I tried spirals, rigatoni etc.) and you can use a gluten free rice based spaghetti or a legume based spaghetti with a little more protein. Using a legume pasta adds a nice boost of plant protein and balances the nutrition in the dish a little more, but use whatever gluten free pasta you have available to you. Or, if you’re not worried about making this dish gluten free, go ahead and use your favourite regular pasta of choice.
What to Serve with Oyster Mushroom Scallops
While the vegan scallops are delicious as a standalone recipe, I highly recommend serving them with some garlic butter pasta. Some other pastas that would pair nicely include something garlicky and nutty like my Green Bean and Almond Gremolata Pasta, or zesty Lemon Pepper Pasta. They would also be fantastic served with some creamy polenta or quinoa, or atop Mushroom Asparagus Risotto. For something a little lighter, consider a bright salad like my Radian Radish Salad with Citrus Tamari Vinaigrette.
More Creamy Vegan Pasta Recipes
- Lemon Pepper Pasta
- Vegan Penne alla Vodka
- No-Blend Vegan Cacio E Pepe
- Baked Feta Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
- Garlic Alfredo Pasta (TheVegan8)
If you try this recipe out, tag me on Instagram @veggiekins so I can drool over your delicious re-creations and share them! Reviews are always appreciated in the comments below, and if you make any fun substitutions, I’d love to hear how it worked out. Please share direct links to my recipes and do not copy + paste or republish my recipes without permission.
Miso Garlic Butter Vegan Scallops & Pasta
Ingredients
- Scallops
- 4-5 large king oyster mushrooms
- 1-2 tbsp vegan butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic grated
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tbsp warm water
- splash of sake or white wine to deglaze (optional)
- Garlic Butter Pasta
- 6 oz gluten free spaghetti or 2 servings pasta
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- 2-3 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- pinch of red chili flakes to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional
- fresh lemon
- vegan parmesan
- more fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook pasta
- Begin by preparing your pasta according to package directions. Cook until al dente and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water.
- Miso Garlic Butter Scallops
- Meanwhile, slice oyster mushroom stems into slices about 1 or 1 1/2 inch tall. Score one side of your mushroom slice with a crosshatch pattern. Remove mushroom tops and save them for another recipe.
- In a pan, melt butter on medium heat and add grated garlic, sautéing lightly until fragrant. Be sure not to burn the garlic.
- Add mushrooms to the pan, score side down, and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes. Flip, mushrooms and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
- Whisk miso paste with 2 tbsp of warm water to thin, then pour into the pan. Baste scallops with the garlic miso butter sauce and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. If desired, you can deglaze with a splash of sake. Set mushrooms aside.
- Prepare pasta
- In the same pan, or in a new pan, melt vegan butter and add sliced garlic. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta cooking water by the 1/4 cup if needed.
- Add parsley, chili flakes and salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat.
- To serve
- Plate garlic butter pasta and top with miso garlic butter scallops. Garnish with vegan parmesan, more fresh parsley and fresh lemon if desired.
Video
@veggiekins Reply to @kcp96 vegan scallops! they’re so cute 🙂 #vegan #vegantiktok #plantbased #foodontiktok #glutenfree #veganrecipes #pasta #homecook #scallops
♬ Darling - Trees and Lucy
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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