Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the linguine, cooking according to package directions until al dente. While the pasta cooks, thinly slice the garlic cloves into chips, dice the yellow onion, zest the lemon, juice it, and finely chop the parsley. Having everything prepped and ready ensures smooth cooking without interruption.

In a large sauté pan, heat 1.5 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic chips, cooking for about 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned—burnt garlic tastes bitter. Add the diced onion, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes, sautéing for 2 minutes until the onion softens. Pour in the white wine and let it reduce by half, which concentrates the flavors and cooks off the raw alcohol taste. This takes about 3-4 minutes.

Once the wine has reduced, add 1.5 tablespoons butter to the pan along with the canned clams and their juice (use only about half the juice to keep the sauce from becoming too watery). Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and chopped parsley. I like to add the black pepper now rather than at the end—it distributes more evenly throughout the sauce. Reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer gently while you finish cooking the pasta and scallops.

While the sauce simmers, pat the sea scallops very dry with paper towels—moisture is the enemy of a golden crust. Heat 0.5 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a separate large skillet over medium-high heat until the butter foams and just begins to brown. Place the scallops in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes without moving them, allowing a beautiful golden crust to form. Flip each scallop and cook for another minute until just opaque in the center. I prefer not to overcook scallops; they toughen quickly, so watch them closely.

Drain the linguine, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add the drained pasta directly to the clam sauce pan and toss gently to combine, adding a splash of pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. The starchy pasta water helps emulsify the sauce and coat each strand beautifully. Divide the pasta among serving bowls and top each portion with the seared scallops, distributing them evenly.