Indulge in a culinary journey with our meticulously crafted seared sea scallops, elegantly nestled in a luscious vodka leek sauce. These tender morsels of the sea, expertly seared to perfection, dance harmoniously with the velvety sauce, creating a symphony of flavors that will tantalize your taste buds. Accompanying this delectable main course are three complementary recipes: a refreshing fennel and orange salad, a creamy leek and potato soup, and a decadent chocolate mousse for a sweet ending. Prepare to embark on a gastronomic adventure that will leave you craving for more.
Here are our top 7 tried and tested recipes!
SIMPLY SEARED SCALLOPS
Steps:
- Pat sea scallops dry with paper towels. Season with some lemon juice, salt, and pepper on one side.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over high heat. Place scallops in the skillet seasoned-side down. Cook until browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Season with remaining lemon juice, salt, and pepper; flip. Continue cooking until opaque, about 2 minutes more. Garnish with lemon zest.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 170.2 calories, Carbohydrate 2.7 g, Cholesterol 38.9 mg, Fat 9.3 g, Fiber 0.1 g, Protein 18 g, SaturatedFat 2.1 g, Sodium 320.2 mg
SEARED SEA SCALLOPS
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe in the proportions indicated, and, therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.
Provided by Food Network
Categories appetizer
Time 1h21m
Yield 2 servings
Number Of Ingredients 29
Steps:
- In a very hot pan with olive oil, sear the scallops; season with salt and pepper. Saute spinach with garlic and white wine to scald the spinach.
- In the center of the plate, place 2 flapjacks. Place orange honey butter on top of flapjacks. Then top with spinach. Place scallops on the plate, in between the flapjacks. Place pancetta and chive in-between the scallops. Garnish with sweet potato curls.
- Combine all ingredients. On a griddle using pan spray, drop 1 ounce of batter. Cook until golden brown.;
- Reduce wine, orange juice, garlic, shallots, and thyme to sec (dry). Add heavy cream; reduce by half. Whisk in butter. Slowly finish with honey.;
- Using a vegetable peeler, cut curls from sweet potato. Deep fry until crisp.
SCALLOPS WITH LEEKS
Steps:
- Remove the scallops from their shells, or ask your fishmonger to do this. Separate the white flesh from the corals, and detach the hard skin around the white and the tiny black sack from the coral. Wash clean under a running tap. Halve the whites horizontally. Leave to dry off on some paper towels.
- Wash the leeks and discard the green parts. Slice the white stems lengthwise into narrow strips about 2 inches long. Place in a saucepan with 1-ounce of the butter, a pinch of salt and 8 tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep hot.
- In another pan melt the rest of the butter and then gently cook the shallots until they are soft. Add the wine, vermouth and scallops with their corals. Bring just to the boiling point, then turn the heat very low and simmer for exactly 2 minutes, or less if the scallops are small.
- Remove the leeks from their liquid using a slotted spoon and place in the heated dish. With the same spoon place the scallops on top. Add the leek juice to the scallop juice and boil until the liquid is reduced to 8 tablespoons. Pour in the cream, return to the boil and bubble for a moment or two. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the scallops. Scatter with the chopped parsley.
SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEEKS & LEMON CHILLI BUTTER
Scallops love a bit of lemon and chilli plus, they are ready in a flash. The perfect way to impress last-minute guests
Provided by Jane Hornby
Categories Starter
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- For the butter, mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, then beat well with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps of butter left. Spoon onto a large sheet of cling film, then wrap tightly in a sausage shape. Chill until firm (or put in the freezer if you're short of time).
- Set up a pan with a steamer or suspend a heatproof colander over the top of a pan. Cut the leeks in half lengthways, then slice into long strips, about the thickness of tagliatelle. Cover, then steam for 6 mins until tender, with no signs of squeakiness. Season, then set aside.
- Dry the scallops on kitchen paper and season. Heat a heavy-based pan, then add the oil. Once hot, add the scallops, keeping them close together - this helps the sides to stay straight and tall rather than sagging. Sizzle for 2 mins until caramelised and you can see the heat creeping up the outside. Turn over with a palette knife, then fry for 1 min more. Take off the heat, then add a few good slices of the butter to the pan, spooning over the scallops as it melts.
- To serve, wind a nest of warm leeks in the centre of 4 plates, top each with 3 scallops, spoon over the buttery sauce (it looks smart trickled around the plate), then sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Squeeze over a little lemon juice before you tuck in.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 588 calories, Fat 56 grams fat, SaturatedFat 33 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 3 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 2 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 19 grams protein, Sodium 1.47 milligram of sodium
SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PAN SAUCE
Seven ingredients and one skillet lead the way to home cooking that's as good as anything you'll eat in restaurants.
Provided by Mark Bittman
Categories Seafood Shellfish Scallop Butter Quick & Easy Dinner Chive White Wine
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Cut 2 tablespoons of the butter into pea-sized pieces, put it on a small plate, and stick it in the freezer. Heat a large skillet over medium-heat high for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil and wait for the butter to melt.
- Pat the scallops dry with paper towels, add them to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper; work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the skillet. Cook, turning once, until they are well browned on both sides but not quite cooked through, 2 minutes per side (less if the scallops are under 1 inch across; more if they're over). Transfer the scallops to a plate.
- Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, and wine and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the liquid in the skillet thickens, a minute or two, then whisk in the butter you chilled in the freezer, one bit at a time, to make a creamy sauce, adding another tablespoon or two of liquid if necessary.
- Return the scallops to the skillet and add the chives. Adjust the heat so the sauce bubbles gently and toss to coat the scallops with the sauce. To serve, transfer the scallops to a platter and spoon the sauce over all.
- Variation:
- Seared Scallops With Cherry Tomatoes and Basil: Skip the lemon juice. Cut 1 pint cherry tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes with the garlic and wine and cook until they wrinkle a bit and release their juice, 2 or 3 minutes. Use chopped fresh basil leaves instead of chives.
- Cooks' Notes
- Releasing From The Pan: The scallops will offer no resistance when they're ready to turn. Press down gently while the scallops cook to encourage full contact with the pan, then listen for a hiss: That's moisture heating and evaporating.
- Getting A Good Sear: The idea is to brown the scallops well on both sides without overcooking them, so keep the heat as high as you can without creating too much smoke.
- Building Sauce With Butter: After you add the liquid and deglaze the pan, the addition of butter develops fantastic creaminess and richness.
- Finishing The Dish: As soon as the scallops are cooked through completely and coated with the sauce, remove the pan from the heat; they will continue to cook. Nick-and-peek into one if you need to check for doneness.
SEARED SEA SCALLOPS
Steps:
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, oregano, thyme and lemon pepper. Roll scallops in flour mixture until lightly coated on all sides.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add 4 scallops to the pan and sear on all sides (about 2 minutes for each side). After turning scallops, add 1 tablespoon parsley and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Remove scallops from pan and place on a plate in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
- Repeat until remaining scallops are cooked, tossing each batch with parsley and lemon juice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 179.1 calories, Carbohydrate 15.4 g, Cholesterol 19.8 mg, Fat 7.5 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 12 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 1250.8 mg, Sugar 0.5 g
SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEEKS AND CAVIAR SAUCE
Steps:
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender but not brown, about 20 minutes. Add Champagne and boil until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 4 minutes. Transfer leek mixture to strainer set over bowl. Press on leeks to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer leeks to small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return liquid to same skillet. Add cream and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Transfer sauce to bowl; cool 1 hour.
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add scallops to skillet and sauté until just cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side for each batch. Transfer to plate.
- Spoon leeks in 5 small mounds around rim of each plate, spacing equally. Top each mound with 1 scallop. Stir caviar and tarragon into sauce. Spoon sauce into center of each plate.
Tips:
- Choosing the Right Scallops: Select sea scallops that are dry-packed and uniform in size. Avoid scallops that have a slimy texture or an off odor.
- Searing the Scallops: Pat the scallops dry before searing to ensure a golden crust. Use a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they are opaque and slightly caramelized.
- Making the Vodka Leek Sauce: Use high-quality vodka for the sauce. A good-quality vodka will add flavor and depth to the sauce without overpowering it. Sauté the leeks in butter until they are soft and translucent. Add the vodka and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the cream and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serving the Scallops: Serve the seared scallops immediately with the vodka leek sauce. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley for added flavor and color.
Conclusion:
This recipe for seared sea scallops in a vodka leek sauce is a delicious and elegant dish that is perfect for a special occasion. The scallops are perfectly seared and the vodka leek sauce is rich and flavorful. This dish is sure to impress your guests and is a great way to enjoy fresh seafood.
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