March 12th is National Baked Scallops Day.

This delicious seafood pasta dish tops lemony linguine with sea scallops that are coated in panko breadcrumbs and baked.

It’s an easy weeknight dish.
 
 
RECIPE: BAKED SCALLOPS WITH LINGUINE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Rinse the scallops and pat dry. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. BEAT the egg in a small bowl. Place the flour in a small shallow dish. In a separate bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, grated cheese and garlic.

3. COAT each scallop in the egg, then the flour and then the breadcrumb mixture. Once coated on both sides, place the scallops on a baking sheet.

4. BAKE for 12-15 minutes or until the scallops are opaque and firm and the breadcrumbs have browned. Meanwhile…

5. BRING a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

6. MIX together the lemon zest, juice, olive oil and garlic in a large bowl. Add the hot cooked pasta into a pan with the lemon mixture; stir to coat. Add the hot starchy pasta water to thin the sauce, as desired.

7. DIVIDE the pasta into individual bowls or plates and top with the scallops. Garnish with the fresh parsley and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SCALLOPS

The fossil record shows that scallops were thriving more than 200 million years ago. The earliest known records of true scallops (those with a ctenolium) can be found from the Triassic period [source].

Today, there are more than 300 living species of scallops. All are members of the Pectinidae family, and are bivalves, with a hinged shell.

Scallops are found around the world, deeper salt water.

Unlike mussels and oysters, the scallop cannot close and seal its shell completely. Some species can actually swim!

The edible portion of the scallop is actually the bivalve’s adductor muscle, which it uses to open and close its shell. It uses this function to propel itself through the water [source].

Like most seafood, scallops are a healthy food: low in calories and rich in protein.

They are a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, and a good source of important minerals such as copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc.

Here are two of our favorite scallop recipes:

 
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*Mornay sauce is a béchamel sauce with added Gruyère cheese, shredded or grated. Variations can include different combinations of Gruyère, Emmental cheese, or white Cheddar. While Mornay sauce is generally associated with a more elegant dish, Mornay sauce made with cheddar is commonly used to make macaroni and cheese (homemade, not prefab).

[1] Celebrate National Baked Scallops Day with this delicious linguine-and-scallop dish (photo © DeLallo).

[2] Raw sea scallops (photo © Citarella | New York).

[3] When you grate a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano, the flavor is so superior to pre-grated cheese (photo © Y. Yang | iStock Photo).

[4] Scallops in the shell. The white muscle, the edible “meat” portion, is removed for consumption. The red portion is the roe, called coral. It is edible, but has a stronger flavor.

Updated July 2026

One dish that has almost dropped from sight is marinated cucumber salad. Why? It’s flavorful, low-calorie, refreshing-hydrating (they’re 96% water), and full of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

It’s a great side with just about any sandwich, pairs beautifully with grilled fish and chicken, and is side-salad-worthy year-round (see food pairings below).

Perhaps our favorite summer recipe is cucumber salad drained and topped with grilled fish or shrimp.

Below:

> Creating a cucumber salad.

> Recipe variations.

> Food pairings with cucumber salad.

> Do you have to peel cucumbers?

> The history of cucumbers.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> More cucumber recipes.

> Cucumber sandwiches with afternoon tea.

> 9 ways to use cucumbers besides “the usual,” plus recipes.

> The year’s 95+ vegetable holidays.

> The year’s 4 cucumber holidays.

> Heirloom cucumbers.
 
 
1. CREATING A CUCUMBER SALAD

Cucumber salad has been a favorite of at least four generations of my family. (We don’t know about the family beyond that, but given that much of the family is from Russia, the odds are that it may be scores of generations.)

Although it’s a great warm-weather dish, we eat cucumber salad year-round: as a side with dinner, as a bed for grilled fish, a condiment on fish sandwiches, on toast and as a filling for toasted pita, as a side with bagels and lox.

Russian style cucumber salad includes sour cream mixed with lots of chopped dill, and sliced onions. And a seasoning of salt and pepper, of course.

Our second favorite recipe is for Greek-style cucumber salad:

 
We like it so much that we keep containers of it in the fridge. If you store it, hold the feta (and grape leaves) aside until you’re ready to serve the salad.

Cucumbers pair with almost any regional or global cuisine. So check out the recipe ideas below, and create your own signature recipe.

Did we mention: Cucumber salad is very low in calories?

And a piece of food trivia: Cucumbers belong to the same botanical family as melons.
 
Tip For Any Cucumber Salad

Because cucumbers contain a lot of water, they will release some into the salad. To get around this, dress the salad and refrigerate it for 20 minutes or more.

Then drain the dish, or transfer the salad to another serving dish with a slotted spoon.
 
 
2. WAYS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR CUCUMBER SALAD

You can create scores of variations to a standard cucumber salad.

 
Also consider these popular cucumber salads:

[1] Cucumber and honeydew salad with lemon and a garnish of mint and finger limes chile. Here’s the recipe (photo © Good Eggs).

[2] Use cucumber salad underneath or atop a grilled fish fillet or chicken breast (photo © ABC Kitchen | NYC).

[3] Hot and spicy: cucumber radish salad with habanero, a sour cream-yogurt dressing and a cilantro garnish (photo © Melissa’s).

[4] Israeli salad: cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and scallions. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Nibble).

[5] Sweet-and-sour Asian cucumber salad. Here’s the recipe (photo © Sunset Grown).

[6] English cucumbers are 12″ to 14″ long, as you can see compared to a conventional American supermarket cucumber (photo © Mastronardi Produce | Sunset Grown).

A crisp cucumber salad with a vinaigrette dressing provides a refreshing, acidic, and crunchy contrast that balances out many different types of main courses. Because the dressing is usually tangy (vinegar or lemon based) and the cucumbers are high in water content, it acts as a perfect palate cleanser for spicy or strong-flavored foods.
 
Grilled and Roasted Proteins

 
Spicy Or Highly Seasoned Dishes

 
More Choices

 

[8] This Asian cucumber salad went viral on Tik-Tok. No spiralizer is used, just a sharp knife. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Nibble).
 
 
4. DO YOU HAVE TO PEEL THE CUCUMBER?

Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber. The flesh is low in calories and high in vitamin K, anti-oxidants and potassium.

Some people may have a hesitance to eat the peel, but try it. The thinner you slice the cucumbers, the easier it is to chew the peel.

In fact, one way to solve the problem is to buy the long English cucumber instead of the fat, waxed supermarket variety. Many supermarkets carry them.

Also called the burpless cucumber, European cucumber, hothouse cucumber and seedless cucumber, these cukes are thin skinned and almost seedless. They are easily 12″ to 14″ long, but some grow up to two feet in length (photo #6).

English cucumbers were actually bred to eliminate some of the more undesirable characteristics: a tough outer skin, large seeds, in some varieties, a bitter taste, and yes, burping.
 

[9] Cucumber and watermelon salad is a natural pairing; they’re both members of the same botanical family* (one reason why pickling watermelon rind yields a snack much like pickled cucumbers). Make the salad more substantial with feta cheese and Kalamata olives, plus fresh mint or dill; and for dinner, add a grilled chicken breast or salmon fillet (photo: The Nibble).
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE CUCUMBER

The cucumber originated in India and was cultivated more than 4000 years ago. Easy to cultivate, it spread to other parts of the Pacific.

By the first century B.C.E., it was traded to ancient Greece, Rome, the Middle East, and to modern-day Bulgaria and Serbia.

They were a favorite food of Emperor Tiberius, who ruled Rome in the first decades of the Common Era.

The march of the cucumber was global. Today it’s the fourth most widely cultivated vegetable in the world [source].

Published records of cucumber salad appear in 17th century Europe. These cucumber salads were simply sliced and marinated in vinegar or lemon juice, with or without oil. Sliced onion could be added, plus fresh herbs—dill became a favorite pairing, or dill seeds.

The Roman Emperor Tiberius (14 B.C.E. to 16 C.E.) ate cucumbers every day of the year. Special gardens were tended just for his vegetables. In the winter, the cucumbers were grown on bed frames or wheeled carts that were moved around to follow the sun, and brought indoors at night for warmth.

(The first practical greenhouse was invented by the French botanist Charles Lucien Bonaparte during the 1800s, to grow medicinal tropical plants.)

Because it is such a prolific grower (one vine grows many cukes), the vegetable was inexpensive and accessible to both the wealthy and peasants. In addition to eating, cucumbers were widely used as medicinal remedies.

After the fall of Rome, cucumbers receded for a long period, resurfacing in France at the court of Charlemagne in the late 8th and 9th centuries.

 
In 2010, worldwide cucumber production was 57.5 million tons, with majority of the world’s production and export coming from China (40.7 million tons).
 

[10] This Pennsylvania Dutch-style recipe came from Germany (“Dutch” was a misspelling of Deutsch, that stuck), where sour cream is a popular ingredient. (See the origin of “Amish” in the †footnote). Here’s the recipe (photo © The Nibble).
 
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*Cucumbers and watermelon are second cousins: Both belong to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae, but in different genuses (cucumbers are genus Cucumis, watermelon in genus Citrullus). Both fruits are a modified berry called a pepo in botany, that has a thick outer rind and a fleshy, seed-filled interior that is not divided by internal walls.

†The name “Amish” is derived from Jakob Ammann, a Swiss Anabaptist leader who lived in the late 17th century. The group formed as a result of a religious schism within the Swiss Brethren, a branch of the Mennonite church. Ammann believed the church had become too lax, and advocated for stricter adherence to the Ordnung, the unwritten set of rules for daily life. He pushed for more rigorous practices, such as Meidung (shunning of excommunicated members), more frequent communion, and traditional dress including the wearing of beards by men.

Those who followed Ammann’s strict interpretations became known as Amman-ish or Amish. When these followers immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 18th century as part of a larger wave of German-speaking settlers known as the Pennsylvania Dutch (a corruption of “Deutsch”), the name stuck to their specific community. While they are a subset of the Pennsylvania Dutch, the term Amish specifically marks their lineage back to Ammann’s reform movement. In other words, all Amish are Pennsylvania Dutch, but not all (in fact, very few) Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish.

Pennsylvania Dutch refers to all descendants of German-speaking immigrants—primarily from the Palatinate region of Germany, Switzerland, and Alsace—who settled in Pennsylvania throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Roughly 90% of these settler were “Church People,” meaning they belonged to mainstream Lutheran or German Reformed denominations. The remaining 10% were the “Plain People,” which includes the Amish, Mennonites, and Brethren. Most Pennsylvania Dutch families today are not, and never were, Amish.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] This Shamrock Shake uses a topping of Lucky Charms. Cute as they are, we’d rather have green sprinkles or edible glitter (both photos © Ray’s Boathouse).

[2] If you don’t have any green garnishes, you can default to the ubiquitous maraschino cherry. Here’s the best brand from Tillen Farms, all natural and available on Amazon.

Ray’s Boathouse in Seattle is a wonderful waterfront seafood destination, serving local, seasonal fish and shellfish.

Located dockside restaurant on Shilshole Bay, a part of Puget Sound, diners can enjoy a majestic view of the Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Ray’s Cafe, located upstairs from Ray’s Boathouse, is now serving their seasonal St. Patrick’s Day-inspired Shamrock Shake, through March 17th.

Let some people drink green beer and green Martinis: We want the green milkshake with Irish whiskey and two liqueurs.

This boozy milkshake is made with:

 
Here’s our copycat version, with many thanks to Ray’s for the inspiration. Enjoy it for dessert or as a snack.

Note that you may want to taste the shake after you’ve blended it halfway. If you want a stronger whiskey flavor, add more crème de cacao, crème de cacao or Irish whiskey to taste.
 
 
RECIPE: BOOZY ST. PATRICK’S DAY SHAKE

Ingredients For 2 Shakes

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. GARNISH as desired and serve immediately.

One of the latest ingredients embraced by chefs nationwide is nutritional yeast, a seasoning that adds cheesy, nutty, umami flavor—not unlike like the Parmesan cheese in a shaker can, but a little richer and rounder.

It’s naturally low in calories and sodium, and is fat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan.

It’s growing in popularity to the point where Datassential, which monitors trends at restaurants nationwide, notes a 40% growth in menu mentions of nutritional yeast over the past year [source].

Nutritional yeast, casually known by its street name, “nooch,” is a way for cooks to deliver a nutritious punch of flavor.

It has long been used in vegan cooking: combined with a purée of cashews and seasonings to create a vegan cheese, or as a topping for pastas, salads and soups.

But its use is not limited to vegan or any other diet. Its umami quality makes nutritional yeast a flavor and nutrition boon for vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike (here’s the difference between vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and and other restrictive diets).

Nutritional yeast is sold as flakes, granules or powder and can be found in natural and health food stores.

It not only delivers a big boost of flavor; it also supplies the nutrition its name promises: all nine essential amino acids, B vitamins and multiple trace minerals.

The only problem with nutritional yeast is its name. To us, “nutritional yeast” sounds like something for people with anemia. Now you know better.
 
 
WHAT IS NUTRITIONAL YEAST?

There are three types of yeast that are technically made from the same yeast species, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. But are used for very different purposes.

 
Now to add on another layer of information:

There are two types of nutritional yeast, fortified and unfortified.

 
 
HOW TO USE NUTRITIONAL YEAST

You can use nutritional yeast as a seasoning for foods that can use the cheesy, nutty, umami flavor it delivers.

Vegans use it as a primary ingredient to create plant-based cheese alternatives. If you’re lactose-intolerant, kosher, or otherwise avoiding dairy products, you can use it here.

Anyone can:

 
So go ahead: Kick it up a nooch.

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*Coconut aminos is a salty, savory seasoning sauce made from the fermented sap of coconut palm and sea salt. You can buy it at health food stores and online.

[1] Nutritional yeast (photo © Bhofack2 | iStock Photo).

[2] Avocado toast and eggs sprinkled with nutritional yeast (photo © Vincent Rivaud |Pexels

[3] Penne rigate with mushrooms in olive oil sauce, sprinkled with nutritional yeast (photo © Engin Akyurt | Pexels).

[4] Buddha bowl (photo © Kween).

[1] Fusilli (corkscrew) pasta with white beans and kale. The recipe is below (both photos © DeLallo).

[2] Delallo”s biodynamic whole wheat fusilli. You can get it online.

[3] Lacinto kale, also known as Tuscan kale, Italian kale and dinosaur kale, among other names (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] Dried cannellini beans from Fortuna Sausage (photo © Fortuna Sausage).

In our continuing series of green main courses for St. Patrick’s Day, we present a simple dish that’s chock full of protein from beans, plus and vitamins and bright green color from kale.

The fragrant, garlicky greens and white beans team up with fusilli pasta, the familiar corkscrew shape.

You can use whole wheat fusilli for even more nutrition.

The name fusilli comes from fuso, spindle. The shape was traditionally “spun” by skilled pasta makers who rapidly twirled spaghetti around a rod, resulting in a long corkscrew shape called fusilli lunghi bucati.

It is still made in that long shape, along with shorter corkscrews.

This popular shape was born in Sicily and spread throughout southern Italy and the rest of the peninsula.

One reason why: The corkscrew curves are great sauce catchers and easily hold thick meat sauces, like Bolognese sauce.
 
 
RECIPE: FUSILLI WITH CANNELLINI BEANS & KALE

Want more green? Add broccoli, broccolini or broccoli rabe.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COOL the pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Meanwhile…

2. HEAT the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Reduce the heat and add the garlic and anchovies. Simmer on low for 20 minutes. While the mixture is still warm, add the butter.

3. RETURN the heat level to medium and add the tomatoes. Cook for 6-7 minutes, stir in the red pepper flakes, and then add the kale.

4. COVER and cook for 10 more minutes, until the kale is tender and wilted.

5. ADD the beans, pasta (and some of the pasta water if needed for thinning), salt and pepper. Toss, plate, and serve with grated parmesan cheese.
 
 
MORE GREEN RECIPES

 
>>> CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PASTA
IN OUR PASTA GLOSSARY >>>