Wednesday, November 9, 2022

Seared Scallops with Butter-Caper Sauce #recipe by @Leslie Karst

 

Many folks are nervous about preparing scallops at home, but they’re actually one of the easiest meals to prepare: simply season and sear them, then deglaze the pan with a bit of wine, stock, or whatever liquid strikes your fancy, and finish it off with a few pats of butter to act as a thickener and flavor-booster. The trick is to not overcook the delicate mollusks, which can easily become tough and rubbery if left too long in the pan.


This simple recipe, with just a few ingredients, is a lovely way to showcase the sweet and slightly briny taste of the magnificent sea scallop. And it would work for shrimp or pounded boneless chicken breasts, as well (just dust the chicken with flour before frying, and use stock instead of the liquid from the frozen scallops). I served the scallops with risotto (pictured here), but they would also pair nicely with plain rice or over pasta. Along with a green salad and some crunchy French bread, this makes for a simply scrumptious meal!

 


Seared Scallops with Butter-Caper Sauce

(serves 4)


Ingredients


1 lb. frozen scallops

½ teaspoon powdered or granulated garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons capers

Fresh lemon juice, to taste (optional)

 


Directions


Dump the frozen scallops in a bowl, cover, and let thaw in the refrigerator overnight.


A half hour before you’re ready to cook them, take the bowl from the fridge, remove the scallops from the liquid and pat them dry. Keep the liquid from the scallops, as you will be using it for the deglazing process.


Season the scallops on both sides with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

 



Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and as soon as the bubbles subside, lay the scallops in the pan. Once browned (about 2 minutes), flip them and continue cooking for 1 more minute, them remove from pan to a plate. 

 



Pour the scallop liquid into the pan and let it simmer, scraping the pan to loosen any delectable bits of scallop left there, until the liquid has reduced by half.

 


Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter as well as the capers (which aren’t pictured—sorry!), and continue cooking and scraping the bottom of the pan until the butter is melted and the sauce has started to thicken. 

 


Serve immediately, plating up the scallops, then drizzling them with the butter-caper sauce. Squeeze a bit of lemon over them for added zest, if you like. (See photo at top.)


🍃  🐟  🌱


The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts—ideal ingredients for a mystery story. Putting this early education to good use, she now writes the Lefty Award-nominated Sally Solari Mysteries, a culinary series set in Santa Cruz, California.

An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, Leslie also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. She and her wife and their Jack Russell mix split their time between Santa Cruz and Hilo, Hawai‘i.


Leslie’s website
Leslie also blogs with Chicks on the Case
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THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH

is now available for purchase here!

 


 

Praise for Leslie's most newest Sally Solari mystery, THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH:

 

“A page turner for me from the very first chapter, THE FRAGRANCE OF DEATH had everything I’m looking for in a mystery and more.”

Lisa K's Book Reviews



"[An] enjoyable fifth outing for Santa Cruz, Calif., chef Sally Solari.... This well-done culinary cozy should win new fans for the ever enterprising Sally."

Publishers Weekly




All five Sally Solari Mysteries are available through AmazonBarnes and Noble, and Bookshop.


 


Dying for a TasteA Measure of Murder, and Murder from Scratch are also available as AUDIOBOOKS from Audible!







8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Having worked in the restaurant biz, I can tell you that, at least on the West Coast, very few restaurants--other than sushi bars--serve fresh scallops. But they're still quite tasty!

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  2. Love scallops! Just wish we could get them fresh, but we are so far inland that's impossible. They are always on my must eat anytime we go closer to the shorelines. Thank you for the recipe.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've only cooked with frozen scallops, but I can't tell the difference from fresh. They're generally flash-frozen onboard ship at a very low temperature, so they retain their tenderness and lovely flavor.

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  3. Sounds so good I am a scallop lover and sometimes get so mad when we go out to eat and it is a fish restaurant and they don't have fresh scallops. Thank you so much for this recipe! peggy clayton ptclayton2 at aol.com

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Peggy! Scallops are the best! (And try the frozen ones; you'll be surprised at how good they are.)

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  4. Nicely done. Scallops are so uncious that I can only eat a few before I feel like I'm on overload.
    It is so important to not overcook them. The little scallops are notoriously easy to overcook into something resembling pencil erasers.

    ReplyDelete