When those super-sweet strawberries are in season you find ways to sprinkle them into your meals! I made a fresh strawberry vinaigrette and threw a generous handful into the salad. I loved the play of creamy and crunchy in this dish. It was fresh and light but I felt sated; this is a perfect story.
A Couple of Tips to make seared scallops
- Make sure to pat down your scallops with a paper towel before searing.
- Heat your pan before adding the scallops on.
- Feel free to substitute in your favorite ingredients in the salad as desired!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can scallops be undercooked?
Scallops are pretty safe compared to other bivalves to it’s generally fine to eat them raw. Freezing scallops kills almost all potential parasites and their eggs.
What is the best oil to cook scallops?
Searing requires an oil with a high smoke point like canola, walnut, sunflower, grape seed, safflower or soy oils. You can add some clarified butter for extra depth of flavor as well. Olive oil has a high smoke point but research indicates it is not safe for high temperature cooking.
What is the best seasoning for scallops?
I love scallops with some salt pepper and butter but you may want to add a dash of paprika, Old Bay seasoning, garlic or lemon. Bright flavors offer a nice contrast to the rich creamy flesh.
Can you eat the orange bit of a scallop?
The soft creamy scallop flesh we are all familiar with is the “adductor” muscle. Most people by the scallops fully shucked and cleaned but you will sometimes see an orange bit attached, which is called the coral or roe. It is edible and has a slight bitter tastes that contrasts with the rich scallop muscle.
How to Make Seared Scallops
- Preheat oven to 450F. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add some kosher salt. Add potatoes and parboil for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to incorporate. Add to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Slice each potato in half. Add peas to the same boiling water and parboil for about 5 minutes. Remove the spine before serving.
- Using a paper towel, pat to dry each scallop. Salt and pepper on both sides to taste.
- Heat up a cast iron skillet. Add a dollop of butter and wait for it to get a little bit smokey. Transfer the scallops to the skillet and sear for about 90 seconds. Turn them over and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. The scallop is done once it releases from the pan. Transfer to a room temperature surface.
- Cut off the cap of each strawberry.
- Cut the onion into thin slices.
- In a small mason jar, add strawberries and mash with a muddler. Add a few onion slices, champagne vinegar, roughly chopped rosemary, crushed lemon verbena.
- Drizzle olive oil and shake until everything is combined.Clean the baby radishes. Open each cooked pea pod.
- Assemble the salad and drizzle dressing. Add potatoes, peas and scallops. Serve with rosé, white wine or whatever makes you happy.
If you’ve tried this Seared Scallops Recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Seared Scallops
Ingredients
For the Dish:
- 4 scallops
- 1 lb Finger potatoes 454g
- Kosher salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
For the Salad:
- 1/4 cup Olive oil 60ml
- Kosher salt
- 8 oz peas 227g
- 8 oz Seascape Strawberries 250g, small
- 1 green onion large
- 2 tbsp Champagne vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 sprig Rosemary chopped
- 1 sprig Lemon verbena
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 bunch Baby radishes
- 8 oz Mixed greens
Instructions
For the Dish:
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add some kosher salt. Add potatoes and parboil for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to incorporate. Add to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Slice each potato in half.
- Add peas to the same boiling water and parboil for about 5 minutes. Remove the spine before serving.
For the Scallops:
- Using a paper towel, pat to dry each scallop. Salt and pepper on both sides to taste.
- Heat up a cast iron skillet. Add a dollop of butter and wait for it to get a little bit smokey.
- Transfer the scallops to the skillet and sear for about 90 seconds. Turn them over and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. The scallop is done once it releases from the pan.
- Transfer to a room temperature surface.
For the Salad:
- Cut off the cap of each strawberry.
- Cut the onion into thin slices.
- In a small mason jar, add strawberries and mash with a muddler. Add a few onion slices, champagne vinegar, roughly chopped rosemary, crushed lemon verbena. Drizzle olive oil and shake until everything is combined.
- Clean the baby radishes. Open each cooked pea pod.
- Assemble the salad and drizzle dressing.
- Add potatoes, peas and scallops. Serve with rosé.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to pat down your scallops with a paper towel before searing.
- Heat your pan before adding the scallops on.
- Feel free to substitute in your favorite ingredients in the salad as desired!
Nutrition
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