In the summer, there is nothing better than a perfectly seared sea scallop. Crusty and caramelized on the outside with a soft center, you simply cannot go wrong. These little gems can be daunting to cook, but I promise they are not difficult! The trick is to have a really hot pan and do not move them until they have developed a nice caramelized crust. Serve these babies with a white wine brown butter sauce and some sauteed spinach and corn for the perfect summertime dinner!
I love all things seafood, my boyfriend and I always go to this little fish shack in town to get the highest quality seafood around. Even though scallops are expensive, they are definitely worth cooking up for a special occasion or date night! Bonus: they are so easy and quick to make you won't have to spend hours in the kitchen prepping.
A few tips:
Pat your scallops VERY dry. If there is any moisture left on the scallops then they will steam in the pan instead of searing and getting a nice crust.
DO NOT MOVE THEM. Once they are in the pan do not touch them until it is time to flip. If you try to flip them and they are still stuck to the pan, just wait. They will release naturally once that crust is formed.
Wait until your pan is very hot to start cooking. You will not get a crust if your pan is not hot enough.
Check out this dish the next time you are in the mood for a quick and elegant dinner! Let me know what you think down below and subscribe for more!
Seared Brown Butter Sea Scallops
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients
2 Cobs of Corn (or one can)
2 cups of Spinach
Juice of One Lemon (divided in two)
1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan
Salt & Pepper
Canola Oil
Olive Oil
16 Large Sea Scallops
3 tbs Butter
1 Clove minced Garlic
1/2 cup White Wine
Instructions
Heat a large pan on medium high heat. Add corn and a little bit of olive oil, cook for 6 minutes until corn begins to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add spinach a handful at a time until cooked down. Season again with salt and pepper. Once spinach is done cooking add the juice of half a lemon and Parmesan cheese. Stir and remove from heat.
While the corn cooks begin heating your cast iron pan. Make sure it gets very hot! Pat your scallops dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Add enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the cast iron, canola oil is better than olive because it has a higher smoking point and will not burn as easily. Place your scallops in the pan being careful that they do not touch. If the scallops are too crowded they will steam instead of searing.
Cook for 1.5 minutes without disturbing. After the first minute add in butter without touching the scallops. Flip scallops with tongs and cook for an additional 3 minutes until brown. During the last minute of cooking add the juice of half a lemon and baste scallops with the melted butter.
Remove scallops from heat, to the cast iron add garlic and white wine. Bring the sauce to a boil and then simmer for two minutes.
Serve scallops warm with sauce drizzled over the top and enjoy!
No nutritional information is available at this time.
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