Easy Seared Scallops Recipe | Make a Restaurant-Worthy Dish at Home
Scallops are one of my favorite proteins to work with—they're super duper delicious on their own and don't need much to shine. In this video, I'll show you how to make a really awesome seared scallop dish with a beautiful pea puree. We'll also dress the plate up really pretty, so it'll look like it came out of a five-star restaurant. Don't worry, though, you can easily make this at home in just 15 minutes!
To start, we'll need to do some prep work with the scallops. Peel off the little muscle on the outside of each scallop and pat them dry with a paper towel. This will help us get a good sear on them. Let the scallops dry out in the fridge while we move on to other prep tasks.
Next, we'll chop up a shallot finely and pull off the leaves of some parsley. We'll also zest some lemons for extra flavor and finely chop up some garlic. Now, let's make a gremolata by mixing the chopped shallots, lemon zest, and parsley together. This will be a great garnish for the scallops.
Moving on to the pea puree, we'll heat a pan over medium heat and cook some pancetta until crispy. If you don't have pancetta, bacon will work too. Once crispy, we'll remove the pancetta from the pan and save the rendered fat. In the same pan, we'll soften the rest of the shallots, add garlic, and deglaze with some wine. Then, we'll add frozen peas, some chicken broth, butter, and garlic bouillon paste. After the peas have defrosted and lightly cooked, we'll blend them into a smooth puree.
Now, we can start cooking the scallops. Season them with salt and pepper, and sear them in hot oil in a screaming hot pan. We'll also sear the muscle parts we pulled off from the scallops. Once cooked, we'll plate the dish by spreading the pea puree on the bottom, placing the scallops on top, and garnishing with the gremolata and crispy pancetta.
And there you have it—a restaurant-worthy seared scallop dish made at home. The freshness and smoothness of the pea puree, the tender texture of the scallops, and the crispy, salty pancetta all come together to create a fantastic bite. This recipe is perfect for a quick and delicious seafood dinner on a busy weeknight.
Ingredients:
- Scallops
- Salt
- Pepper
- Shallot
- Parsley
- Lemons
- Garlic
- Pancetta (or bacon)
- Frozen peas
- Low-sodium chicken broth
- Butter
- Garlic bouillon paste
- Oil (for cooking)
Cooking steps:
- Peel off the little muscle on the outside of each scallop and pat them dry with a paper towel. Let them dry out in the fridge.
- Chop up a shallot finely and pull off the leaves of some parsley. Zest some lemons and finely chop up some garlic. Mix the chopped shallots, lemon zest, and parsley together to make a gremolata.
- Cook the pancetta in a heated pan until crispy. Remove the pancetta from the pan and save the rendered fat. In the same pan, soften the rest of the shallots, add garlic, and deglaze with wine. Add frozen peas, chicken broth, butter, and garlic bouillon paste. Cook until the peas have defrosted and lightly cooked. Blend into a smooth puree.
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper, and sear them in hot oil in a screaming hot pan. Also, sear the muscle parts pulled off from the scallops.
- Plate the dish by spreading the pea puree on the bottom, placing the scallops on top, and garnishing with gremolata and crispy pancetta.
