Citrus-Butter Scallops With Tiny Pasta

Citrus and fennel make a great pair; the former’s brightness and and latter’s subtle anise notes play nicely together in salads, sauces, and an inspiring scallop crudo at LaRina in Brooklyn, the creative impetus for this dish. Here, this dynamic duo teams up to flavor a pan of tiny pasta with seared scallops and lots of butter. While the lemon slices (which go soft in the sauce) can be cut by hand, then fennel is best when paper-thin. This is the place for a mandoline if you have one.