Recipes > Seared Scallops with Warm Butter and Almonds

- Serves: 4
- Active Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
- Views: 45,793
- Success Rating: 100% (?)
Steps
Method
To bake the potato, preheat your oven to 400º degrees Fahrenheit. Place the potato onto a large piece of foil and sprinkle with the salt and water. Wrap it tightly and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife inserts easily all the way through.
Method
To start your mise en place, preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, followed by the prosciutto. Fry the proscuitto until it changes color and begins to crisp on both sides. This should only take about a minute or so. Once done, place onto a paper towel to drain.
Next, mince the shallots and finely chop the chives. Set everything aside, along with the butter, soy sauce and almonds.
Method
To make the mashed potato, first make sure you can easily insert a knife all the way through. If so, wrap it back up and set it aside while you heat the cream. Once the cream just starts to bubble, turn off the heat. Carefully peel the skin off the hot potato, cut it into large chunks and squeeze through a ricer straight into a small, non-stick pot. Add the butter and mash until nice and smooth. Slowly add the hot cream, a bit at a time. Once you reach a smooth consistency, season the potatoes with salt to taste. Cover them to keep warm, while you cook the scallops.
Method
To start the sauce, melt the clarified butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and soy sauce and cook for about a minute to heat through. Turn off the heat and set the sauce aside, while you cook the scallops.
Remove the tough muscle from the side and blot dry with paper towels. Heat the fry pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a thin layer of oil. As soon as the oil starts to smoke, add the scallops. Let them cook without touching them for about a minute. They will release on their own from the pan when ready. After about a minute or so, depending on the size of the scallops, the bottom should be golden and caramelized. Turn the scallops over and continue to cook until done.
The scallops are done once they are just white around the edges and still opaque in the center. Remove them from the pan, squeeze a touch of fresh lemon juice over top and let rest while you finish the sauce.
To finish the sauce, place over low heat and add the almonds, crushing them up a bit. Then add the chives and heat the sauce through.
Meanwhile, check to see that the potatoes are still nice and hot and smooth. As they sit, they’ll soak up the cream. If they’re a bit too thick, add a touch more hot cream to get a smooth consistency.
To plate the scallops, place a dollop of the mashed potatoes in the center. Lay a piece of crispy prosciutto over top, followed by one of the scallops. Drizzle the sauce around the plate and over the scallop. Finish with a pinch of fleur de sel and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- by Kimberley Slobodian
- •
- May 7, 2008
Choose a stainless-steel fry pan that can easily accommodate the number of scallops you are cooking. To get a good sear on the scallops, it’s important to blot them dry very well and to not over-crowd the pan.
9 Comments
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I have not made it yet, but I plan to tonight. I will make it a main by adding two think slices of sirloin to it and also adding a spinach salad with almonds in a double smoked bacon sauce.
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Just keep in mind that this dish is pretty fairly rich. So you may want to serve it with something a bit lighter as well...of course this is just a suggestion :-) Hope you enjoy, good luck. dawn
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My husband has always been reluctant to eat scallops because he said the ones he had were grainy. I made this recipe using sea scallops and my husband went nuts! This recipe was absolutely delicious! He can't wait until we have it again!
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My husband made these for an appetizer tonight and they were awesome. Great contrast in textures. He took the shortcut of boiling the potato and used fresh basil intead of chives. Also left out the almonds as he can't eat them but I think they would have been a great addition. I could not guess that there was soy sauce in the sauce. Really delicious.
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I am wondering, do you have any ideas for someone who does not eat pork/poultry/beef, if there is a good substitute for the prosciutto? I'm guessing that it adds a nice texture in addition to the flavor. Thanks!
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Not sure if there is a substitution for this one. You may want to use a vegetarian bacon or make the recipe without the prosciutto! It will just be missing that "bacony flavor" and a bit of crunch or crispy texture. To make up for the texture loss, you could make some Parmesan crisps or delicate crostini points. Here is a recipe for Roasted Eggplant Confit with Crostini that shows you how to make the crostini. I would just suggest to make the crostini a bit thinner. Hope this helps!
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I made this for my wife and neighbors tonight to great applause. I made it a main by just increasing the amount of potato & scallop. It was certainly rich enough to serve as a main with my pairing of the roasted glazed carrots recipe (also from rouxbe). Thanks!
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A couple of questions here. I have all clad stainless cookware and only one small non-stick pan for eggs and one huge non-stick that I rarely use anymore. Would I be able to cook the proscuitto and potatoes in stainless cookware? What challenges will I face if I do? Also, I don't own a ricer but do have a food mill. Will that work for the potato?
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Yes, staniless-steel cookware would still work. You shouldn't encounter any challenges. And yes, a food mill will work, if you do not have a ricer. Cheers!
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