Thursday, August 13, 2009

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.




41 comments:

  1. Very gorgeous meal, the sauce is singing to me. Drink some of that wine, too. lol

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  2. Wow! I think for your first shot at cooking with scallops, you nailed it! That dish is beautiful! And I LOVE thin asparagus. I know it tastes the same as regular asparagus, but I always go for the thin kind!

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  3. Oh wow...these are so beautiful...what a delicious meal. It's driving me crazy that I missed out on the Black Box! I don't think I ever even saw anything about it and now I see it popping up everywhere :?

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  4. What an impressive dinner :)

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  5. wonderful looking meal, I love scallops and it looks like you cooked them amazingly - of course the wine always helps =)

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  6. Your scallops look beautiful! I really (really) want to like scallops, but I can't seem to get past the texture. I have ordered them at countless restaurants, and always end up giving them to my hubby to eat for me. Do you think the sauce would be good with shrimp?

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  7. I'm afraid of scallops too! I just don't want to mess them up... But I think I can follow (yup, follow - that's huge for me as I always "mess" with recipes) your recipe! It sounds and looks delicious. Maybe a little romantic dinner is in hubby's and my future after the toddler is in bed this weekend.... :)

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  8. What a delicious sauce Jenn. Scallops look really delicious.

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  9. This looks soooooo delicious! Those scallops looks huge too:)

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  10. These look wonderful, and very elegant. Scallops and wine pair wonderfully together.

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  11. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. Gorgeous. PS - I am more of a red wine girl too but always like to keep some white wine around for guests or cooking :-)

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  12. Looks awesome! Well done. You know what the best excuse for drinking a glass of wine is? "I want a glass of wine." ;)

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  13. Bravo! This was your first time with scallops? They look awesome :)

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  14. What a gorgeous meal. I'm a fan of diver scallops and a bit envious as I read this.

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  15. Jenn, those scallops are gorgeous! The trick with scallops is not to overcook them and it looks as though yours are tender and juicy.

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  16. We took our Black Box to a party and it was gone in a few seconds. We still don't believe there are 4 bottles in that 'lil box! Cooking with it would've been great if we'd had any left. :) Always love scallops!

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  17. Gaaah! I'm jealous not only b/c of the free wine (which I would put within easy reach at all times) but for the fact that your scallops are beautifully seared. And it's your first time! I've made scallops a few times but never with this result; as such, they're often just simmered in a sauce.

    Seriously, though, great job on this dish - it looks wonderful and absolutely delicious.

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  18. Those scallops look good girl! ...question, can you substitute the wine for fish stock or something like that?

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  19. Denise: LOL

    Peachkins, HH, Elra, nutmeg: Thanks.

    Teanna: I think I prefer thin asparagus, too. Much easier to cook with.

    girlichef: There'll be more wines. (Hopefully)

    Oyster Culture: Yes, indeed.

    Jen: Oh, yeah the sauce would go great with shrimp, too.

    Parita: Thanks.

    Andrea: Give it a try. You'll never know.

    Fearless: Yes, they do.

    Michelle: Red wine forever. LOL.

    Bob: LOL. So true.

    Phyllis: Yup.

    Mary: LOL. That mean you may bee to have a scallop fix.

    Cookin' Canuck: I agree.

    Duo Dishes: I thinking I'm keep the wine all to myself. LOL.

    Tangled Noodle: Thanks. I was about to simmer them in the sauce, but i decided to go with it and give the searing a try.

    Kim: Sure. Whatever you feel comfortable with.

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  20. I love scallops, absolutely love them yet I have never made them! And I live in a city whose specialty is sea scallops and I have never made them! This recipe is easy, so delicious looking and so elegant. I think I'll try this one!

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  21. jenn!! vat a delightful meal!! tummies are already rumbling!!

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  22. Now you have me craving scallops - this meal looks elegant, beautiful and delicious!

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  23. isnt foodbuzz grand?! damn jenn this meal looks fantastic! this should be called little j scallops or scallops little j or coquille petit j...yup thats it - coquille petit j.

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  24. oh yeah and I am one of those that didnt get on the little black box wagon somehow....I am seeing this all over the west...thats it its a westy thing!

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  25. Jamie: Go for it! ;-)

    Nora: hehe...

    Pam: ;-D

    doggy: i like the sound of that name. ;-) That interesting that so far it's been only in the west. Maybe it'll start popping up in the east, too.

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  26. This is very elegant, Jenn! It looks really delicious - your scallops look perfectly cooked!

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  27. The meal looks so wonderful. Well done!

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  28. The scallops look terrific! I am surprised Black box only sent white wine and not red. Like you I am a red wine person. What grape was it?

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  29. Jenn, you did such an amazing job on these. I have never made scallops. I have only eaten them a handful of times and I don't always enjoy the texture. Yours like so good though I'd like to give them a try!

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  30. Reeni, Hummingbird: Thanks.

    5 Star: I'm not sure of the grape. But I really like it.

    Ungourmet: I only had scallops a few times before and I wasn't always a fan of them, but it worth giving them another shot.

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  31. I love big scallops like this, and the sauce sounds perfect!

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  32. Black box is one of my favorite boxed wines! Wow, I never hear about these give-aways..

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  33. TavoLini: Foodbuzz usually sends out an email announcement.

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  34. What a beautiful dish! I love scallops and these look amazing :)

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  35. Really helpful data, thank you for the post.

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  36. Quite effective info, lots of thanks for the article.

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  37. This was amazing. Really a great recipe.

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  38. This is a really great recipe. Thanks so much. It was delicious.

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Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave a message. I'd love to hear from you. I do read them all. ;-D

--J