Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Sautéed Scallops...simply delicious!

This is such a simple, fast and easy first course that it doesn't even need a written out recipe for you to get much love heaped upon you by those who are lucky enough to share its deliciousness. One of those things that delivers huge flavor reward for your time investment. Scallops to me are something that demands minimal dressing up. We served this as a first course last Saturday before the glory that was the saltimbocca alla romana, and it was a stellar starting point. With something as rich as the saltimbocca, the scallops were a nice, light starting point. Of course I did amp it up a bit with glasses of 2002 Bernard Moreau Chassagne-Montrachet "1er Cru Les Chenevottes"....just because I care about the happiness of others. To get your scallop groove on here's all you do: Chop a handful of garlic and a handful of Italian parsley and set aside. Take your sea scallops...maybe two or three per person (and make sure they're fresh when you buy them. I'll ask my fish guy if I can smell them. I've been burned by bad scallops before)...pat them dry, and lightly salt and pepper each one. Dredge the top and bottom in a light coating of flour, shaking off the excess. Do them all before you start to sauté. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a medium non-stick sauté pan (use a larger pan if needed. you don't want them crowding each other) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, carefully place each scallop in the pan, cook about 1 or 2 minutes per side. Turn when a nice golden crust develops. Remove from heat and and put on serving plates. Try really hard not to overcook. You want them just opaque in the center. Add a little more oil, let it heat up and throw the garlic and parsley into the pan. Stir it around for about 45 seconds or so...the parsley will get nice and crisp...and remove from heat and distribute equally over the scallops. Serve to your guests who will rave. Get ready to act all humble like it was nothing...which it wasn't, but they don't have to know!!

2 comments:

peter said...

I admire your altruism with the Moreau. You really took one for the team there.

And I love seared scallops. They're just the shit.

bb said...

Peter.....seared scallops are truly the shit. And glad you picked up on my altruistic tendencies. Earning my friend karma one bottle of Burgundy at a time!