Pan-Seared Scallops with White Wine Sauce

Sundays are usually when I try to make an elegant meal. But I had some place I had to be on Sunday, so I made the meal on Saturday night instead. I had bought some fresh diver scallops from the farmer's market that morning and I had been craving for some for quite a long while. I haven't really cooked with scallops before, so was nervous as to how it would turn out. I wanted to pair it with some kind of sauce and a vegetable.

Luckily, I had some thin asparagus in the fridge I've been planning on cooking. I researched the interweb as to how long I cook scallops. These scallops aren't cheap and I didn't want to blow it. So I prepared them, removed the cartilage which is the part that is attached to the shell and seasoning with some salt and pepper. Plus, a little coating on the top and bottom with panko crumbs. I cooked this meal in three stages. First, I sauteed the asparagus, then pan-seared the scallops for 3-4 min per side, and finally made the sauce. A white wine sauce.



One of the perks of being a featured published with Foodbuzz is being able to sample and try out various food products. I had recently received this large box of white wine from Black Box Wines. I felt it a perfect time to bust it open and use it for the sauce. I did pour a little extra to have a few sips while I prepared the meal. I like a little glass of wine every now and then. Besides, I haven't cooked with wine on this blog yet. I don't drink white wine often. I'm more of a red wine-kind of gal. It comes in a box with one of those push-button pour spouts. It's pretty neat. No opening a cork here, Just put your glass under the spout and press the little button, which surprised me as I was a bit skeptical about drinking wine from a box. I'm not a wine aficionado, but this coming from a red wine person, I did enjoy the taste of it. Now I'm trying to find any excuse to drink it or even cook with it. There's enough wine in it for 4 750ml bottles. That's quite a lot of wine. (*insert mischevious smirk here*)

Anyway, the sauce was made with white wine, unsalted butter, garlic, dry parsley, a dash of rice wine vinegar. The smell of it was intoxicating. I couldn't wait to pour it over the scallops. A good tip to know about cook with wine. ONLY cook with wines that you would drink. If you don't like the taste of a certain wine, don't use it. Simple as that.

Didn't take more that 20-25 minutes to make. I drizzled the sauce slowly over the scallops making sure it coated each one, then sat myself down by the table and enjoyed this delicious meal. My knife easily sliced through the scallops and was deliciously tender. Tasted fantastic with the sauce and asparagus. It was one of those "I wish I had made more" type meals. I am no longer afraid to cook scallops.


Serves 2.



Pan-Seared Diver Scallops in White Wine Sauce

4 Medium-Large Diver Scallops
1 bundle (2 dozen) thin asparagus (cut into match stick size)
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbsp panko crumbs
salt
pepper

Sauce:
1/2 c white wine
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp dry parsley
2 garlic cloves (minced)


Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and remove the tough cartilage on the side, if it has not already been removed. Season with salt and pepper and coat the ends with the panko crumbs

In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and saute the asparagus for 3-5 or until tender. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Remove the asparagus from the skillet into a plate and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Heat the other tablespoon of Olive oil and sear the scallops 2-4 min on one end then flip and sear the other side 3-4 until cooked through.

Remove from the skillet and on to another plate, cover with foil to keep warm and let it rest.

Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel and reheat. Melt the butter and saute the garlic for roughly 30-45 sec. Then add the white wine and rice wine vinegar. Add the dry parsley. Let it simmer on medium to low heat for roughly 5-8 min. Stir occasionally. If you see the scallops release some of their juice onto the plate at it to the sauce.

Putting it together:
On a plate, Place the asparagus on the bottom, then lay the scallops on top. Drizzle over the white wine sauce including the garlic bits.