Seared Sea Scallops With Spicy Carrot Coulis Recipes

Steps:

• Make the coulis: Put carrots, garlic, onion, vinegar, cayenne, salt, honey and broth in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until carrots are very soft, about 15 minutes. Purée all ingredients thoroughly in a blender and strain if necessary - it should be very smooth. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Coulis should not be too thick, but rather similar to a thin milkshake. Keep warm if not made ahead.
• Prepare the scallops: Set 2 wide cast-iron skillets or a large griddle over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, film with olive oil. As oil heats and just before cooking, season scallops with salt and pepper on both sides. When oil is wavy, place scallops in pan without crowding. Leave scallops undisturbed to brown well and crisp on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until cooked through, but juicy. Place scallops browned side up on paper towels to blot bottoms.
• To serve, ladle about 1/4 cup warm coulis onto individual warmed dinner plates. Set scallops on top, browned side up. Sprinkle with cilantro, chives and sliced chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Steps:

• For the puree: In a small saucepot, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add the chopped carrots, and boil until soft. Strain the carrots and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Place the carrots in a blender with the honey, and puree. Adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper, and cool completely.
• For the syrup: In a saute pan, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Then chop the bacon and add it to a small saucepot with the maple syrup, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the syrup to a volume of 1 cup.
• If the syrup is very runny, thicken with a slurry of the cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water.
• For the crab salad: In a bowl, combine crab, apples, carrots, mayonnaise, lemon juice and onion, and mix gently. Season with salt and pepper.
• For plating: Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan over high heat until smoking. Add the oil and then place the scallops in the pan. Sear until golden brown and the scallops release from the pan, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another minute. Add the butter to the pan and baste the scallops with the butter for about 1 more minute. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the scallops to rest.
• On each serving plate, drag a spoonful of carrot puree across the plate. Place 2 ounces of crab salad at the center of each plate. Trim the romaine leaves into a diamond and place on top of the crab salad. Place the seared scallop against the lettuce leaf and drizzle 1 ounce of the bacon syrup with some bacon pieces over the scallop. Garnish with the scallions and serve.

Steps:

• Remove the small side muscle from the scallops, rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.
• Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other. Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center. Serve immediately.

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.

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, toss bread crumbs with salt. Dip scallops in crumb mixture to coat both sides, patting to help coating adhere. , In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add scallops; cook 1-1/2 to 2 minutes on each side or until firm and opaque. Remove from pan; keep warm., Add wine, lemon juice and garlic to same pan; bring to a boil. Stir in parsley. Drizzle over scallops; serve immediately.

Steps:

• Remove the muscle from each scallop and discard. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Place half of the scallops in the pan and cook, turning once, until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to a plate and loosely cover to keep warm. Repeat process with remaining butter, olive oil, and scallops.
• Reduce heat to medium; add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add wine and scrape brown bits from bottom of skillet. Add corn, cream, basil, and chives. Cook, stirring often, until cream is reduced and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Transfer half of the sauce to the jar of a blender and puree until smooth. Return pureed sauce to the skillet with the remaining sauce, add scallops and any juices that have accumulated on the plate; cook until warm about 1 minute.
• Divide scallops evenly among 4 plates. Spoon sauce around scallops and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cook shallot and garlic in 2 teaspoons oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add corn, basil, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender and beginning to lightly brown on edges, about 4 minutes. Add milk and scrape up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then remove from heat.
• Purée corn mixture in a blender at medium speed until very smooth, about 1 minute. Force purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Cover coulis until ready to serve.
• Toss tomatoes with parsley and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.
• Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté half of scallops, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Sauté remaining scallops in same manner.
• Reheat coulis over low heat, covered, then spoon 2 tablespoons onto center of each of 6 plates. Arrange 5 scallops per plate in a circle on coulis, then spoon tomatoes into center.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine carrot juice, 1/4 cup wine, lemon juice, shallot, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat just enough to maintain a steady boil. Cook until slightly thickened (it should resemble the consistency of pulpy orange juice) and reduced to about 1/2 cup, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Reduce heat, and very gently simmer the carrot reduction. Whisk in butter one piece at a time, waiting until each piece is melted and incorporated before adding another. The sauce should be thickened enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Return the sauce to a simmer, whisking constantly. Submerge the bundle of marjoram in the sauce, and remove from heat. Let marjoram infuse sauce while you cook the scallops.
• Heat oven to 175 degrees. Turn off the oven, and place a platter in it to warm. If the scallops have small, loosely attached, rectangular pieces of white muscle on their sides, pull them off, and discard. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels, and season all sides lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed sauté pan over high heat until it is very hot and smoking. Using tongs, carefully place the scallops flat side down in the pan. Let the scallops cook undisturbed until they are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn, and cook until the other side is browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer scallops to warmed platter. Reduce heat to medium, and pour in remaining 1/4 cup wine. Scrape up browned bits, then add liquid to carrot mixture.
• Remove marjoram bundle from carrot sauce, squeeze it dry, and discard. Reheat sauce over medium heat, whisking constantly. Taste, and adjust seasoning. For a very smooth texture, pass sauce through a very fine strainer. If the sauce begins to separate or the butter comes to surface in droplets, blend the sauce for a few seconds using an immersion blender. Divide scallops among warmed dinner plates, and pour carrot sauce around them. Serve.

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.

Steps:

• Start with fresh sea scallops, as large as you can buy. If you buy them frozen, defrost before preparing the recipe.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Rinse scallops with cold water, pat dry with paper towels.
• Pour pan searing flour into quart size plastic bag; coat scallops one by one with flour shaking off excess.
• Add scallops to pan; when scallops appear brown paper bag color 1/4 up flip with tongs.
• Add butter and spoon butter over scallops as "crusting" occurs.
• Transfer scallops and butter oil mixture to oven safe dish and place in oven for 7- 10 minutes and enjoy!

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot; cook and stir until lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in lemon juice and cook until evaporated, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits, about 3 minutes.
• Place scallops 1/2 inch apart in the skillet. Cook until browned on the bottom, about 1 minute. Flip and continue cooking until the second side is deeply browned, about 1 minute more.
• Transfer scallops to a serving plate; season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley.

Steps:

• Put sliced shallots in a small bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add vinegar and mix gently, keeping shallots submerged. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. (May be made 1 or 2 days in advance and refrigerated.) Remaining vinegar may be reserved for another use, such as salad dressing.
• With a sharp knife, slice each scallop crosswise into very thin slices. Distribute slices among six chilled plates, laying them flat in a circular pattern. Arrange halved cherry tomatoes over each plate. Sprinkle scallop and tomatoes with salt, a little peperoncino, a few capers and some pickled shallot.
• Garnish with torn or sliced basil leaves and some small basil leaves. Give each plate a squeeze of lime juice and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Thaw scallops if they are frozen.
• Rinse scallops and pat dry with paper towel.
• In a large ziploc bag mix the flour and cajun seasoning.
• Add scallops, toss, coating well.
• In a large skillet over medium heat warm the oil.
• Add the scallops and cook for approximately 6 minutes until browned and the scallops are opaque.
• Remove scallops from skillet, keep warm.
• Add spinach to skillet and sprinkle with water.
• Cover and cook over medium high heat until spinach is wilted; about 2 minutes.
• Drizzle spinach with vinegar and toss well to coat.
• Add scallops and heat throughly.
• Sprinkle with bacon pieces.
• Serve.