Brown butter seared scallops are served over a summer corn mixture with red peppers, scallions, bacon and a touch of cream.
Say hello to New Jersey on a plate. Every single ingredient here comes from the good old Garden State. For the past 3 years, a guy my husband works with offers us fresh NJ scallops at a ridiculous price of $10 per pound. We get 5 pounds and I divide and freeze them. These scallops are beauties: they smell like the ocean and are sweet as can be. Whatever night he brings them home, I cook some for dinner. In this case it was a Tuesday which also happens to be CSA day (best day ever!).
A quick look at my box and the other stuff I had in my fridge, and this gem of a recipe came together. It is weeknight friendly but good anough for a dinner party. It takes minutes to make. And it’s all fresh. My biggest critic claims it was the best seared scallops I’ve ever made. (He does like his bacon!)
But back to the local ingredients. The corn, scallions, butter and cream are all from Dreyer Farms; the bacon is my all-time favorite from Green Village Packing Company; the red pepper is from my local farmer’s market. The result: fresh summer flavor without a lot of fuss.
Wondering what I do with the other scallops? Try seafood scampi, lemony farro or caramelized scallops with smoked chili cream.
- 8 large sea scallops
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped red pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- Kernels from 2 ears of corn
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Season scallops with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large saute pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat.
- Heat the remaining bacon fat over medium heat. Add the red pepper and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the corn and ⅔ of the scallions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the cream and ⅔ of the reserved bacon. Reduce heat to low and let cook for another minute or two to allow the cream to thicken.
- Meanwhile, put the butter and oil in a medium pan over high heat. Cook until the butter just starts to brown. Add the scallops and sear until caramelized and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes per side.
- To serve, divide the corn mixture among 2 plates. Top each with 4 scallops and sprinkle with some of the remaining bacon and scallions.
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