Seared Scallops with Lemon Caper Sauce

This recipe is simple, yet will make you feel as though you are eating in a 5 star restaurant! The flavors are amazing, and you are certain to impress . . .

Kinda funny how this meal came about - I had a recipe in mind for dinner and as the first item was being chopped up, the realization set in that an important ingredient was missing, curry paste! Who runs out of curry paste in their pantry?! 😩 Scramble time, gotta figure out something else! I had recently purchased a bag of frozen wild scallops with the intent of finding an idea to try, and now that is going to happen sooner rather than later. With the scallops in mind, it didn’t take long to find a recipe idea that I had all the ingredients for so plan B was put into full motion. This was adapted from The Food Critic, with the only substitution being that ghee replaced the butter, everything else was perfect! I have had unsuccessful attempts at cooking scallops before, and remembered learning that if you cook them too long or too slow, they turn out “rubbery”. A little research led to a new idea for cooking the scallops, and it worked great! The lemon caper sauce was the ideal “icing on the cake” to a perfectly prepared scallop.

Here’s the trick that led to a success - combine 1/3 cup kosher salt into one cup of hot water, stir until it is dissolved. Add 4 cups of ice water to cool the water down. Place scallops in the brine and allow them to sit for about ten minutes. Drain the scallops, rinse, and then place them on a platter covered with a few paper towels. With another paper towel or two cover the top of the scallops and pat them dry as best you can. Set the scallops aside. And now for the rest of the story . . .

INGREDIENTS -

1/3 cup kosher salt
1 cup hot water
4 cups ice water
1 pound large scallops
3 Tbsp avocado oil
1 Tbsp ghee
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine, optional
1 cup organic chicken broth
1 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice, approximately 1 lemon will do both zest and juice
2 Tbsp capers
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp chopped dill, optional for garnish
1 tsp chopped chives, optional for garnish
lemon wedges, optional for garnish

Prepare the scallops in the brine as described above and set aside to dry.

Mince the garlic, zest and juice the lemon, chop the fresh herbs if you are using them, and set all of these aside. Measure out the remainder of the ingredients, have them handy and ready to add to the pan.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the avocado oil to medium high, it is important to cook these hot and fast! Sprinkle scallops lightly with salt on both sides. Place the scallops into the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the tablespoon of ghee to pan and turn the scallops carefully, baste with the butter while they cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove scallops to a plate with a paper towel and set aside.

Using the same pan, turn heat down to medium and add the garlic, cook for one minute. Add the wine and stir until it is reduced to about half, 3-5 minutes. Increase the heat back to medium high and add the chicken stock, lemon juice, zest, and capers. Simmer until reduced by half, about 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the dijon mustard.

Return scallops to the pan and warm on low heat for a couple of minutes. To serve, garnish with dill, chives, and a fresh lemon wedge on the side if you like.

Welcome to your own 5 star restaurant. Enjoy!