Most days, this site is devoted to getting you casual comfort food ideas and recipes that can be on the table in under an hour and mostly in the half hour range. Then there are days like today. Today, I'm offering you a pretty fancy dinner recipe that can be on the table in 30 minutes! This is a perfect meal to make at home when you have company, have the house to yourself, or have an event in the evening but want to enjoy a fancy meal beforehand without spending all your money. We all need recipes like this sometimes.
You'll note that both parts of this recipe call for both unsalted butter and olive oil. Don't opt for just one. The combination is part of where the richness of this dish comes through and since we're talking scallops and an acidic sauce, you are going to want that source of richness to tame it all. You can skip the crushed red pepper flakes if you want, but they add just a bit of spice and it's oh so nice. If you don't have capers or the olives, you can use whichever you have on hand and increase the amounts. However, having both adds both flavor and texture to the dish that aren't as intense with just one. Find fresh basil, ideally from your garden, farmer's market, or CSA box. It's so worth it for this dish. And finally, don't skip the drying step for the sea scallops. They will not sear well if they are wet!
I served the scallops and sauce over a multigrain rice blend, but angel hair pasta or brown rice will both do nicely as well. Serve it with a light side salad and a glass of that chilled white wine you used to make your sauce - you did choose a dry white wine you can drink to cook with … right? Then sit down and thoroughly enjoy the fruits of your half hour of labor. Bon appétit!
Pan Seared Scallops with Pan Roasted Tomato, Olive & Caper Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 large garlic glove, finely minced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 3 tablespoons pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1 ½ pounds sea scallops, patted dry
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
To make the sauce, in a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the butter and cook, tilting the pan frequently, until it has lightly browned. It should smell nutty and have amber bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the olive oil and crushed red pepper flakes; sauté for 1 minute. Then add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for another minute or until you can smell the garlic strongly.
Add the cherry tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're soft and blistering, but still hold their shape, about 8 minutes. Stir in the olives and capers and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the white wine, stir, and allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer. Stir in the basil, lemon juice, and salt; cook for 2 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
To sear the scallops, rinse them with cold water and pat dry with a few sheets of paper towels. You want to make sure you get as much moisture out of them as possible. Set them aside on a paper towel.
Add the butter and oil to a large sauté pan over high heat. While the pan heats up, lightly salt and pepper the scallops. Once the pan begins to lightly smoke, gently add the scallops into the pan, making sure they are not touching. Sear the scallops for 1-2 minutes, then gently flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown. Don't move them at all while they're searing.
Nestle the scallops onto a bed of pasta or rice (I used a multigrain rice blend) and spoon the sauce generously over the top of the scallops; serve immediately.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes