This Japanese-inspired dish uses one sauce--a sweet/salt combination of mirin and miso--to make both the marinade for the scallops and the caramelized pan sauce for the noodles. A good pairing would be a simple green salad dressed with a citrus vinaigrette.

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

8 ounces soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti
3 tablespoons white miso (see Ingredient notes)
2 tablespoons mirin (see Ingredient notes)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound dry sea scallops (see Ingredient notes), tough muscle removed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced scallions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, whisk miso, mirin, vinegar, canola oil, ginger and garlic in a medium bowl. Add scallops and stir gently to coat. Let marinate for 5 minutes (scallops will begin to break down if marinated longer). Using a slotted spoon, remove the scallops, reserving the marinade for the sauce.
3. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the reserved marinade to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until brown, about 1 minute. Pour the sauce over the noodles, add scallions and toss to coat. Top with scallops and serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per Serving: 440 calories; 12 g fat (1 g sat, 6 g mono); 37 mg cholesterol; 51 g carbohydrate; 29 g protein; 3 g fiber; 611 mg sodium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (35% daily value), Iron (17% dv).

TIP: Ingredient Notes: Miso: Fermented bean paste made from barley, rice or soybeans used in Japanese cooking to add flavor to dishes such as soups, sauces and salad dressings. A little goes a long way because of its concentrated, salty taste. Miso is available in different colors, depending on the type of grain or bean and how long it's been fermented. In general, the lighter the color, the more mild the flavor. It will keep, in the refrigerator, for more than a year.

Mirin: A low-alcohol rice wine essential to Japanese cooking. Look for it in the Asian or gourmet-ingredients section of your supermarket. An equal portion of sherry or white wine with a pinch of sugar may be substituted for mirin.

We prefer cooking with "dry" sea scallops (scallops that have not been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, or STP). Scallops that have been treated with STP ("wet" scallops) have been subjected to a chemical bath and are not only mushy and less flavorful, but will not brown properly.

I enjoyed this recipe, but wish it had made more sauce for the noodles. The flavor of the marinade was excellent.

Anonymous, Cambridge, MA

The marinade/sauce is excellent and I've used it on chicken without any marinating time with great success.

Anonymous, Windsor, On

A bit too sweet for my taste - would lessen mirin, and I think sauce flavors (that are delicious) overwhelm the delicateness of scallops. Will alter and try with chicken.

Anonymous, Falmouth, MA

Great bright gingery flavor and nice variety of textures. We found the finished dish was helped by a dash of good soy sauce. We did get "dry" scallops, and they still wouldn't caramelize. I wonder if we need higher initial heat -- will try that next time around.

Anonymous, Hershey, PA

Excellent blend of flavors! I find mirin to be a little too sweet for my taste, so I added a tablespoon of tamari to add some savoriness to the marinade. I also replaced some of the canola oil with dark sesame oil to punch up the Asian flavor.

, Burlington, VT

I made this with lamb stew meat instead of the scallops. It was delicious.

Lynee, Grand Rapids, MI