Scallops are the perfect food for special occasions or when you want to treat yourself to something a little extra special. I absolutely love them and serve them in so many different yet delicious ways from seared scallops to bacon wrapped scallops (a must-try) they are just incredible and so simple to cook.
This recipe uses sauteed scallops accompanied with giant cous cous, beets and Brussels sprouts. The whole dish is super healthy, elegant and can be easily prepped in advance, see all the tips and tricks plus step by step instructions below.
What you need to make this recipe
Scallops – I love to use large scallops and find that 3 per person is perfect if your scallops are on the small side you might want to serve 4 per person. Also, make sure to pat them dry before cooking.
Honey – I only use a small amount of honey to balance the acidity in the dish but you can easily adjust it by adding more to taste.
White wine – The white wine gives a wonderful flavor to the sauce, a dry white wine works best, if you’d rather skip the wine you can replace it with extra stock.
Beets – I like to use raw beets and steam them until cooked through and saute the leaves separately, they’re so healthy and delicious. To save time, however, you can buy pre-cooked beets and warm them up for serving.
Apple cider vinegar – Scallops are sweet so adding vinegar to the sauce really helps balance the flavors, if you don’t have apple cider vinegar then white wine vinegar will also work.
Giant cous cous – You should be able to find giant cous cous in most supermarkets but if not you can use regular cous cous, rice or lentils.
Brussel sprouts – Trim the sprouts and cut them in half so they cook quicker, if you’re not a fan of sprouts then you can use pretty much any other vegetable you love such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach or zucchini.
How to make Sauteed Scallops
1. Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper then saute in butter on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside on a warm plate.
2. Add the shallot and garlic to the same pan and saute for a minute.
3. Add the flour and stir into the shallots and butter.
4. Cook the flour for 1 minute.
5. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and stir together.
6. Cook, whilst stirring until the sauce thickens, set aside.
7. In a separate pan saute more butter, shallot and garlic for the cous cous.
8. Add stock and water to the mixture.
9. Next, add the cous cous and bring to a boil.
10. Simmer on low until the cous cous has absorbed all the liquid, set aside.
11. Add butter to another pan and add the sprouts.
12. Saute slowly, stirring occasionally until golden brown and cooked through.
13. Peel and slice the cooked beets.
14. Add them to a bowl with the dressing ingredients and stir to coat.
15. last minute, saute the beet leaves in a little butter.
16. Plate everything up on a bed of cous cous, serve.
Tips and ideas for making this recipe
- Pat your scallops dry with a paper towel before seasoning.
- Don’t move the scallops around on the pan when they are cooking. Let them be until it’s time to turn them over.
- You can steam, roast, or buy pre-cooked beets just make sure they aren’t pickled. You can also use either regular or golden beets they both work really well.
- Giant cous cous is delicious, fun a full of flavor it comes in regular or whole wheat varieties and either will do. Alternatively, you could use rice, lentils, or normal-sized cous cous instead (cook it according to packet instructions).
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do scallops take to cook?
I cook large scallops for 3-4 minutes each side, try not to move them around in the pan until it’s time to turn them over so they go a nice crispy golden brown on the outside (patting them dry the kitchen paper also helps achieve this).
How long do they last in the fridge?
Fresh scallops keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days. I recommend buying them from a fishmonger so you know they are at their freshest. If they start to smell fishy then they are going off, they should smell fresh like the sea.
Can I use frozen scallops?
You can use frozen scallops just make sure to thaw them completely in the fridge before cooking. Remember to pat them dry, because they’ve been frozen they’ll have a lot more moisture than fresh scallops.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can prep the majority of this recipe in advance so all you need to do is cook the scallops last minute. The beets, sprouts, cous cous and sauce can all be made in advance and warmed up before serving. You may need to loosen the sauce with a little stock or water as it thickens as it cools.
If you’ve tried this sauteed scallop recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Sauteed Scallops
Ingredients
For the Cous Cous:
- 1 cup giant cous cous
- 1 cup veg stock
- 1 cup water
- 1 shallot
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon butter
For the scallops and sauce:
- 6 large scallops
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup white wine
- Lemon zest
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ cup water
For the Brussel Sprouts:
- 2 cups brussel sprouts
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 lemon juice
For the Beets:
- 3 whole beets
- 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil.
- Save beet leaves
For the Beet leaves:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Scallops:
- Dry the scallops with paper towel, season with salt and pepper.
- Melt 2 tablespoon butter in a pan when hot add scallops.
- Cook on each side for about 4 minutes at medium heat. Don’t crowd the pan, keep the scallop drippings for the sauce.
To make the sauce
- Use the drippings from the scallop pan and add 2 tablespoons butter.
- Add shallots and garlic. Cook at low heat for about 1 minute or 2.
- Add flour and mix. Cook for about 1 minutes.
- Combine the rest of the ingredients. Use a whisk to stir the sauce. Stir and cook until thick.
- Taste to add a little more honey if it’s too acidic. Set aside.
For the Cous Cous:
- Add 1 tbsp of butter to a pan and saute the shallot and garlic.
- Add 1 cup vegetable broth, 1 cup of water and 1 cup cous cous with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cook at medium heat until it starts to boil, reduce to low heat. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Stir once or twice.
For the Brussel sprouts
- Melt butter 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan.
- Add sprouts, salt and pepper. Saute on a low heat.
- Cook until golden brown, turning the pan often to roast them in the pan.
- Add lemon juice and 2 tablespoons or less of soft butter, toss.
For the Beets:
- Steam whole beets for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. Small beets cook faster. You can also roast the beets or use pre-cooked.
- Peel and slice, Put in a bowl. Add salt and pepper.
- Mix balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar and olive oil together in a small bowl.
- Toss mixture with cooked beets.
For the Beet Leaves:
- Melt butter in a pan. Add leaves.
- Cover pan and cook a medium low heat. Serve the veggies and scallops on a bed of cous cous.
Notes
- Pat your scallops dry with a paper towel before seasoning.
- Don't move the scallops around on the pan when they are cooking. Let them be until it's time to turn them over.
- You can steam, roast, or buy pre-cooked beets just make sure they aren't pickled. You can also use either regular or golden beets they both work really well.
- Giant cous cous is delicious, fun a full of flavor it comes in regular or whole wheat varieties and either will do. Alternatively, you could use rice, lentils, or normal-sized cous cous instead (cook it according to packet instructions).
