Seared Scallops

Don’t underestimate yourself – Making delicious seared scallops could not be easier.  As long as you stick to the following tips, you will forgo the overpriced scallops in fine dining restaurants and enjoy the scallops you proudly make on your own time:

• Pat the scallops thoroughly dry before searing. Sit the scallops on paper towel to absorb the water if needed.  Making the scallops as dry as possible can prevent the scallops from steaming instead of searing.
• Although pat dried, the scallops may still produce water in the pan. Choose a pan that is large enough to hold the scallops without touching one another and have adequate room to evaporate the excessive water quickly.
• Make sure your pan is hot enough before you put into scallops. An easy way to check is to look for smoke rising from the pan.
• Do not to move around the scallops during searing.
• Try not overcook, or the scallops will become rubbery.

There are many ways to dress or serve your seared scallops.  If you do not have the sumac called by this recipe, by all means use your favorite spices or simply omit the spice to retain the scallop’s original flavor.  This versatile recipe allows you to use your inner creativity for maximum indulgence. Check out the Serving Ideas section at the end for some further inspiration.

Prep Time: 5 minutes     Cooking Time: 3 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound sea scallops
• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Optional: sumac or spice of your choice

Directions

• Rinse scallops with cold water. Thoroughly pat dry to avoid steaming during searing.
• Sprinkle salt and finely ground pepper on the scallops.
• Add oil and butter to a pan over medium to high heat.
• As soon as the pan begins to smoke, carefully add the scallops without touching each other. Keep them in place and try not move around the scallops when searing.
• Sear each side of the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes until the scallops have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center.

Serving Ideas

• Squeeze few drops of lemon juice to make it a quick and refreshing bite.
• Wrap the scallops with cooked bacon and secure with toothpicks as a fabulous appetizer.
• Roast pineapples in the oven with butter and a little sugar. Use toothpicks to dab the scallops slightly with a thin layer of peanut butter and then sprear the scallops with the roasted pineapples on a stick. Serve with Sriracha sauce on the side for a kick!
• Serve with lemon pesto made of basil, garlic, walnuts, lemon juice, and granted Pecorino cheese.
• Serve on the side of a spinach salad with blue cheese, walnuts and bacon.
• Roll the edges of the scallops with sesame seeds before searing and serve over stir-fried vegetables.
• Serve with fish and shrimp along with steamed broccoli asiago noodles and sautéed mushrooms.
• Serve with spaghetti with olive oil and fresh parsley on the side.

Last but not least, this is what landed on my daughter Michelle’s plate, served with crusted salmon, roasted asparagus along with Jasmine rice. Even Ari, her lovely dog, surprisingly got a little taste of the plate for himself