MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
Title: Sea Scallops With Asparagus Sauce
Categories: Seafood, Vegetables, Sauces, Appetisers
Yield: 2 Servings
6 Sea scallops *
Salt
1 lb Asparagus
1/2 c Chicken broth; warm
3 tb Butter
2 tb Canola or grapeseed oil or
- other high smoke-point oil
* Sea scallops are the big scallops, about 1-1/2" wide, as opposed
to bay scallops which are small, about 1/2" wide. Look for
"dry pack" scallops, as they are not treated with chemicals to
keep them fresh; the chemicals are not overly harmful, but they
change the texture of the scallop and make them harder to sear
properly.
Salt the scallops well and set aside at room temperature while you
make the asparagus sauce.
Steam the asparagus for the sauce. Use a potato peeler to shave the
outer layer off the asparagus spears, up to about 3/4ths of the way
up the spear. This part is more fibrous and will not break down as
well in the blender. Chop into 2" pieces. Boil the asparagus in a
pot of salted water for 5 to 8 minutes. This is longer than you'd
normally cook asparagus, but you want the spears to blend well
later.
Remove the asparagus from the pot. If you want to retain that
vibrant green color, shock them in an ice bath. Put them in a food
processor or blender. Add half the chicken stock and purée until
smooth. If you want an even smoother texture you can push the puree
through a fine mesh sieve or a food mill. Pour the sauce into a
small pot and add the butter. Heat over very low heat until the
butter melts, but do not let it boil, or even simmer. The sauce
should be warm, not hot. If the sauce is too thick you can add more
chicken stock. Add salt to taste.
Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. Heat a saute pan on high
heat. Add a high smoke point oil like canola or grapeseed oil, and
let it heat up for 2 minutes. The pan should be very hot. If it
starts to smoke, move the pan off the heat. Lay in the scallops in
the pan, well separated from each other. You might need to sear in
batches.
If your scallops are thicker than 1", turn the heat down to
medium-high. Most sea scallops are about an inch. Let them sear
without moving for at least 3 to 4 minutes. Keep an eye on them.
You will see a crust beginning to form on the outside edge of the
scallop, and the meat will begin to whiten upward. A good time to
check the scallop is when you see a golden brown ring at the edge
of the scallop. Try picking it up with tongs, and if it comes
cleanly, check it--you should see a deep golden sear. If not, let
it back down and keep searing.
When the scallops are well seared on one side, turn them over and
sear on high heat for 1 minute, give or take. Then turn off the
heat. The residual heat will continue to cook the scallops for a
few minutes. Let the scallops cook for at least another minute, or
more if you like your scallops well-done.
To serve pour a little sauce in the middle of the plate, top with
the scallops, the more browned side up.
Serve at once. Garnish with a little chopped parsley if you want,
and maybe with a wedge of lemon.
Notes:
Plan on 3 sea scallops per person for a light dinner or appetizer,
5 scallops for a full main course. Many sea scallops come with a
tough flap of meat attached to them. Just pull it off and either
discard or use in a seafood stock. The asparagus sauce is a great
way to use the spears of asparagus in case you've chopped off the
tips for use in another recipe. You're just pureeing them here, so
you'll never see the tips.
Recipe FROM:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes
Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
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