Drool, Seared Scallops!! I think I mentioned my love of all things from the ocean before. . . . but here it is again, seafood is absolutely one of my favourite foods, think desert island, wish list and generally to be eaten at any given opportunity!
My Seared Scallops with Champagne Sauce recipe is one of the more decadent of recipes. Definitely a ‘cook to impress’ dish. The melting softness of the scallops, paired with the rich, buttery champagne sauce is simply a match made in heaven.
Scallops can be bought two ways, with or without the little orange muscle on the side, for this recipe, it is removed and discarded.
Cooking scallops is very simple and very fast. The pan needs to be hot before you place the scallops in and the oil/ butter content kept to an absolute minimum to allow the scallops to easily develop the brown seared appearance. It is also important to ensure your scallops are dry before adding to the pan (I dab with a piece of kitchen towel) to help the browning process.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do, I would love to see your results! I welcome your feedback and your pictures! Tweet me at @dinewithemma
Seared Scallops with Champagne Sauce, a sumptuous and decadent dish.
Ingredients
- 8 large Scallops
- A small knob of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil for frying
- 1 shallot, finely sliced
- 1 knob of butter for frying
- 100ml Dry white wine
- 100ml Fish stock (prepared from a fish stock cube is fine)
- 100ml Cream
- 50ml Champagne (Brut), or dry sparkling wine
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 35g of cold (essential that it is cold) butter, cut into cubes
- salt to taste
- Rocket leaves to serve
Instructions
- In a small frying pan, gently fry the shallots with the knob of butter until softened.
- Add the white wine, fast simmer until reduced by half.
- Add the fish stock, fast simmer until reduced by half.
- Add the cream and again, fast simmer until reduced by half.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Next add the Champagne.
- Season with the salt.
- Simmer for a further 3 minutes and remove from the heat.
- Take another heavy bottomed frying pan and heat, add butter and oil, then the scallops
- Sear scallops for 2-4 minutes on each side until they form a brown colour on the outside.
- Please note that an overcooked scallop is a rubbery affair, ensure the pan is hot enough to colour the scallops quickly. To help, ensure the scallops are completely dry before you add them to the pan.
- Once cooked, remove scallops from pan and sit to rest on a bed of rocket leaves.
- Return sauce to the heat and add the cold butter cubes, whisk until dissolved.
- Spoon a generous amount of sauce over the scallops and serve immediately.
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