Seared Sea Scallops

We love making sea scallops when they are in season - from mid September to January. Especially when we find them in the shells - they are a bit tricky to clean but as they are so fresh and delicious, all the hard work pays off!

Once you’ve cleaned your fresh scallops, pat them dry and let them come to room temperature, out of the fridge for at least 30 min.

Heat a couple of teaspoons of high heat flavorless oil, such as organic cold pressed sunflower or avocado oil in a stainless sauté pan or cast iron skillet, until nearly smoking. Add the scallops with a few inches of space between each one and let sear for 30 seconds. Now add a teaspoon of butter to the pan, pushing it around so that it gets under each scallop - without actually moving or touching the scallops - keep the heat on medium to high - so long as the butter isn’t burning and not smoking too much. Allow another 10 - 20 seconds or so before turning them over - they should be golden brown. Allow to brown on the other side, another 30 plus seconds. Remove onto paper towels and set aside. They should at that point be still par cooked in the middle. Allowing them to rest, while you make your sauce - serve with our creamy mushroom and chevre cheese sauce on this blog under ‘ Guinea Fowl with creamy mushroom sauce.’ The sauce can then be served quite hot over the scallops which will simultaneously re heat the scallops but this way you will not compromise the cooking temperature. Scallops this fresh can be eaten raw or as a carpaccio- served with lots of lemon for example, so serving them par cooked is absolutely fine and really ideal.