Pan Seared Scallops With Sesame Sauce And Cellophane Noodles Recipes

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS WITH SESAME SAUCE AND CELLOPHANE NOODLES

Steps:

• Soak cellophane noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and put into a large bowl about 5 minutes prior to serving.
• While the noodles are soaking, whisk the soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season scallops with garlic salt and pepper, add half of the green onions, and cook for 4 - 5 minutes in hot oil until scallops are golden brown.
• Turn with a spatula and brown the other side for an additional 4 - 5 minutes.
• Add soy sauce mixture and bring to a simmer for 4 - 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens and scallops are cooked through.
• Pour scallops and soy sauce over the drained noodles. Top with remaining green onions and serve.

SESAME-CRUSTED, PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ASIAN VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• In a small bowl add ginger, garlic, green onion, cilantro, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy, 1 tablespoon of canola oil, and sake. Whisk ingredients together.
• Place 1 teaspoon of vinaigrette in each soup spoon.
• Season scallops with salt and pepper.
• Place sesame seeds on a plate. Pat down top and bottom side of each scallop in sesame seeds.
• In a saute pan, over medium-high heat add remaining tablespoon oil. When oil is hot, add scallops, placing them sesame-crusted side down. Sear for approximately 1 minute, or until sesame seeds brown. Turn and sear on other sesame-crusted side for 1 more minute. Place 1 scallop in each soup spoon. Serve immediately.
• * The same serving format can be achieved with only 4 spoons by replenishing each guests spoon for subsequent servings.
• Recommended beverage: cold sake

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut 2 tablespoons of the butter into pea-sized pieces, put it on a small plate, and stick it in the freezer. Heat a large skillet over medium-heat high for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil and wait for the butter to melt.
• Pat the scallops dry with paper towels, add them to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper; work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the skillet. Cook, turning once, until they are well browned on both sides but not quite cooked through, 2 minutes per side (less if the scallops are under 1 inch across; more if they're over). Transfer the scallops to a plate.
• Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, and wine and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the liquid in the skillet thickens, a minute or two, then whisk in the butter you chilled in the freezer, one bit at a time, to make a creamy sauce, adding another tablespoon or two of liquid if necessary.
• Return the scallops to the skillet and add the chives. Adjust the heat so the sauce bubbles gently and toss to coat the scallops with the sauce. To serve, transfer the scallops to a platter and spoon the sauce over all.
• Variation:
• Seared Scallops With Cherry Tomatoes and Basil: Skip the lemon juice. Cut 1 pint cherry tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes with the garlic and wine and cook until they wrinkle a bit and release their juice, 2 or 3 minutes. Use chopped fresh basil leaves instead of chives.
• Cooks' Notes
• Releasing From The Pan: The scallops will offer no resistance when they're ready to turn. Press down gently while the scallops cook to encourage full contact with the pan, then listen for a hiss: That's moisture heating and evaporating.
• Getting A Good Sear: The idea is to brown the scallops well on both sides without overcooking them, so keep the heat as high as you can without creating too much smoke.
• Building Sauce With Butter: After you add the liquid and deglaze the pan, the addition of butter develops fantastic creaminess and richness.
• Finishing The Dish: As soon as the scallops are cooked through completely and coated with the sauce, remove the pan from the heat; they will continue to cook. Nick-and-peek into one if you need to check for doneness.

SEARED SESAME SCALLOPS

Steps:

• In a small bowl stir together sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. Remove tough muscle from side of each scallop if necessary and pat scallops dry. Dip flat sides of each scallop in sesame mixture. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté scallops on flat sides until sesame seeds are golden and scallops are just cooked through, about 4 minutes total.
• Serve scallops with couscous and lemon wedges.