How to make seafood Cacio e pepe at home? Cacio e pepe Recipe

Cacio e Pepe is not the typical pasta that I can find at restaurants or cafes in Singapore, not sure why this is not popular. It is seriously so delicious and easy and simple to make. 

For years, I have always been wanting to try this but they always require specific cheese such as Pecorino Romano but there's this Instagrammer called Miss Goob who posted a video on her recipe of Cacio e Pepe and she just uses normal cheese. I have been making this ever since!

Cacio e Pepe means "cheese and pepper", and those are the prominent flavors in this dish.

One of the important components of this dish is the reserved pasta cooking water. The pasta when simmered in water will release starch, hence giving the water a murky appearance.

What can you do with this pasta water? 

Use it to make the sauce for your pasta. The water is crucial for your sauce. For example, cacio e Pepe needs this to thicken the sauce, and of course, this helps to bind the sauce to noodles so it will coat all the noodles.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

Yield: 1

Ingredients

2 ounces pasta

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 ounces (about 1 cup) freshly-grated* Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

5 Scallops

Cooking Directions

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Salt the pot of boiling water; add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, Cook according to cooking instructions. After the pasta has cooked, reserve ¾ cup of pasta water. It's a good idea to reserve a bit of the pasta cooking water to stir into the sauce.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add scallops and prawns. Add the pepper as well which gives the dish peppery heat. 2 minutes on each side until cooked.
3. Add ½ cup reserved pasta water to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add pasta and remaining butter. Reduce heat to low and add the cheese, stirring and tossing with tongs until melted. Remove pan from heat; add more cheese, stirring and tossing until cheese melts, sauce coats the pasta, and pasta is al dente. (Add more pasta water if sauce seems dry.) Transfer pasta to warm bowls and serve.