Hubby has been working long hours over the weekend this week. So I decided to surprise him with an elegant meal at home. He had been eying the wild caught fresh scallops at the Whole Foods seafood counter.
I picked up a dozen scallops, a shallot, a lemon, and a package of baby arugula, then came home to make up a recipe.
Now don’t get elegant confused with complicated. This recipe is elegant in its simplicity. I let the sweet butter textured scallops be the star of the show. Searing the scallops in a screaming hot pan and cooking them until just perfectly done will make you feel like you are fine dining. The rest is just a quick warm dressing poured over a bed of arugula.
I used cast iron for this recipe (surprise surprise right?) because you can get a perfect seared crust. The key to the caramelized crust is to dry your scallops with a paper towel, gently because they are delicate. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper. 
Then sear in butter on high heat for 2 minutes (no more) on each side. Remove the scallops and set them on the arugula.
To make the dressing, add more butter to the pan with olive oil, then saute your shallot. Stir in salt, the juice of one lemon, and a splash of white wine.
Pour this over your salad and your husband will tell you you need to be a professional chef. Well, mine did anyway.
Seared Scallop Salad
makes 2 salads
4 ounces baby arugula
12 chives, chopped
12 jumbo scallops
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon white wine
Juice of one lemon
Toss the arugula and chives together. Divide onto two salad plates. Set aside.
Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. Season lightly with salt and pepper. In a cast iron or other not non-stick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over high heat. When the butter is sizzling, add the scallops. Sear for 2 minutes on each side. Set 6 scallops on each salad.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Saute the shallots until soft. Add the wine and cook for one more minute. Turn off heat and add the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well then drizzle the dressing over the salad and scallops. Serve immediately.
I shared this with my friends at:
- Mouthwatering Monday
- Homemaker Monday
- Food e-friend Monday
- Tempt my tummy Tuesday
- Tuesdays at the Table
- Tuesday’s tasty tidbits
- Tasty Tuesdays
- Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesdays
- Tuesday Night Supper Club
- REAL FOOD WEDNESDAY
- Whats cooking Wednesday
- Saturday Swap
5 comments
angie says:
June 2, 2011 at 8:55 pm (UTC -5)
This looks DIVINE! Love scallops!
Erin @ Art + Food + Life says:
June 4, 2011 at 10:09 am (UTC -5)
I hope you get a chance to try it out Angie. They really were so delicious!
Kim {Recipes To Run On} says:
June 3, 2011 at 7:06 am (UTC -5)
This is beautiful! What a great way to treat your hubby. And what a great summertime meal. Thanks so much for linking to Recipes To Run On!
Erin @ Art + Food + Life says:
June 4, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC -5)
With all the butter, it is not an ideal recipe for recipes to run on…but it was just so delicious!
See ya next week!
christy says:
June 13, 2011 at 7:01 pm (UTC -5)
gorgeous and still nice and light for a summer meal alfresco! –even with the butter
thank you for sharing with tuesday night supper club.