Sea Scallops And Asparagus With Vermouth Recipes

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PARSLEY AND SCALLION PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, adding salt until it tastes like seawater. Meanwhile, set a colander in a large bowl of ice water. Add the parsley to the boiling water and cook 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon. Immediately plunge the parsley into the ice bath and allow to cool, 3 to 5 minutes. Keep the water at a rolling boil.
• Drain the parsley slightly and put it in a blender (reserve the ice water). Add the sugar and olive oil and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water. Taste for seasoning. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the scallions; set aside.
• Prepare the asparagus: Add the asparagus to the pot and cook until crisp-tender and bright green, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the ice water to cool. Drain and pat dry. (The pesto and asparagus can be made up to 4 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Cook the scallops: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When the oil begins to smoke slightly, season the scallops with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the shallots and garlic and cook until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and virtually all of the liquid has evaporated. Add the asparagus and toss until warmed through.
• Arrange the scallops and vegetables on plates. Squeeze some lemon juice directly over the scallops. Top with the pesto.

SCALLOPS WITH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Trim asparagus, then cut stems into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices, leaving tips whole.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté asparagus, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate, reserving skillet off heat (do not clean).
• Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté half of scallops, turning over once, until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer scallops with tongs to another plate as cooked.
• Wipe out skillet with paper towels, then add remaining tablespoon oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté remaining scallops, turning over once, until browned and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total, transferring to plate. (Do not wipe out skillet after second batch.)
• Carefully add wine and vinegar to skillet (mixture may spatter) and boil, scraping up brown bits, until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Add any scallop juices accumulated on plate and bring to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.
• Add asparagus and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Serve scallops topped with asparagus and sauce.

SAUTéED SCALLOPS WITH ASPARAGUS PURéE

Steps:

• Asparagus: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Salt the water generously (make it as salty as seawater). Trim the woody ends from asparagus and discard; then submerge asparagus in the boiling water. Cover with lid just until the water comes back to a boil, then uncover and cook until al dente (tender but with just a little crunch), 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice water.
• Asparagus are done when they bend without snapping. Use a spider strainer to transfer them to the ice bath; submerge and stir to immediately stop the cooking. Reserve cooking water (to thin purée). Cut asparagus tips and reserve for garnish. Cut stalks into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
• Place asparagus stalks in the blender and cover with lid; pulse a few times. Remove the smaller cap in the lid and turn blender to medium speed. Ladle in a slow stream of cooking water (about ½ cup) to help the asparagus purée. Use caution, as the water and purée are hot! Replace the cap, then purée on high speed. When the purée is smooth, strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl to remove any fibrous strands. Salt the purée to taste and set aside.
• Scallops: Place scallops on paper towels in an even layer and pat dry; this is an important step to get a nice sear. Pull off and discard any tough side-muscles (their fibers run against the grain of the rest of the scallop). Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, then add oil. (Add more as needed to coat the bottom of the skillet.) When the oil begins to ripple, add scallops in an even layer without crowding. Let cook undisturbed, 60-90 seconds. Scallops are ready to flip when they are evenly caramelized and no longer stick to the skillet. Before flipping, sprinkle with sea salt. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the asparagus purée.
• When scallops are golden brown on the first side, they should release easily from the skillet. Using a small offset spatula, flip each scallop to sear the second side; continue sautéing, 30-45 more seconds, depending on size. Remove scallops to a paper towel-lined plate and let rest while finishing the sauce.
• Add half of the asparagus tips to the warmed purée. Add butter, then swirl the saucepan continuously until all the butter has melted and emulsified into the purée to make a rich sauce.
• Immediately before serving, add the lemon juice to the asparagus sauce and stir to combine; taste and adjust seasoning. Divide the sauce among plates or large bowls, then place the scallops on the sauce. Garnish with remaining asparagus tips and serve immediately.

SEA SCALLOPS WITH BROWN BUTTER, CAPERS AND LEMON

Steps:

• Pat scallops dry with paper towels, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat a large sauté pan or nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat, and add oil. After 30 seconds, add scallops; do not crowd pan, work in batches if necessary. Sauté until well browned, about 2 minutes, then turn and cook other side. When second side is dark golden, transfer scallops to a platter; cover and keep warm.
• Return sauté pan to heat, add butter, and cook until it begins to foam and turn golden. Add shallot and capers, sauté for 1 minute, then add lemon juice (being careful to avoid sputtering butter) and chopped parsley.
• To serve, place 3 scallops on each of 4 warmed plates. Spoon butter, shallots and capers over scallops, and serve.

SEA SCALLOPS WITH VERMOUTH

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
• Add 2 turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons and the chopped shallots to the pan.
• Cook shallots in oil a minute or so.
• Add artichoke hearts and toss to heat through.
• Season artichokes with salt and pepper and combine with parsley and capers.
• Transfer artichokes to a serving dish.
• Wipe out pan and return to the heat, raising heat a bit.
• Season drained and trimmed scallops with salt and pepper.
• Add 1 turn of olive oil to the very hot pan and immediately place the scallops in the pan and sear in a single layer, causing them to carmelize, 2 minutes on each side.
• Add vermouth and cook out the alcohol, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Arrange scallops in vermouth over the top of the artichokes and serve.

SCALLOPS IN VERMOUTH-CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Coat the scallops with flour, dusting off excess.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the scallops and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, till they are opaque, and then remove from skillet.
• Add vermouth to the skillet and scrape the pan to loosen bits stuck to the bottom.
• Bring to a boil and reduce the volume of liquid by half.
• Stir in cream, salt, and pepper and turn heat down to low.
• Add the scallops back to the pan and cook till heated through.

BLANQUETTE OF SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Melt butter over medium heat in a 12-inch sauté pan or skillet that has a cover. Increase heat to medium-high, add scallops and sauté no more than a minute until very lightly browned, then turn them once with tongs to color the other side. They will be undercooked. Remove to a bowl and cover loosely with foil.
• Reduce heat to low, add onions and sauté a couple of minutes, until soft but not brown. Stir in wine, scraping bottom of pan, and add 3/4 cup of the stock. Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook on medium-low 10 to 12 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a paring knife.
• Stir ingredients in the pan. Add asparagus and remaining stock. Cook uncovered about 3 minutes, until asparagus are just tender. If liquid in the pan is reducing too much - there should be a saucelike amount - add a little more stock. Stir in crème fraîche, cook briefly until sauce thickens to a creamy consistency.
• Return scallops and any juices they release to the pan, cook another 2 minutes, basting scallops and potatoes with sauce. Add lemon juice. Taste sauce for seasoning. Transfer blanquette to a serving dish, shower with dill and serve.

SAUTéED SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Place a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat, and add to it 3 tablespoons of the butter. When it has melted and started to foam, place the scallops in the pan in a single layer, and season with a pinch or two of salt.
• Cook scallops without moving until the bottoms are golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes, then turn them over, add the wine and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

SEA SCALLOPS ON ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Coarsely chop the mushrooms and combine them in a large, non-reactive saucepan with five cups of water. Simmer gently for about one-and-a-half hours.
• Strain the liquid, pressing to get all possible juice. Discard mushrooms or reserve. Return the liquid to the pan and boil over high heat until reduced to about a half cup. Set aside.
• Break off the woody asparagus bottoms and peel the lower third. Remove the heads and halve them the long way, then slice the stems across into coins about one-eighth-inch-thick. Combine the honey, lime juice, tarragon and thyme in a small cup.
• Put the dark olive oil in a wide, nonreactive skillet over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the asparagus pieces and stir-fry for one-and-a-half minutes, or just until they start to change color. Stir in the honey mixture and cook one minute more, then remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Add the mushroom essence to the asparagus pan, raise the heat to high and reduce to a generous quarter cup. Set aside.
• Right before serving, put one tablespoon of the light olive oil in a wide, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dust half the scallop pieces with seasoned flour (see note), place them in the pan and add one tablespoon of the butter. Cook the scallops about one-and-a-half minutes per side, basting with the fat. They should be golden, barely cooked. Set aside, uncovered, and repeat with the remaining oil, butter and scallops.
• Add the reduced mushroom essence to the scallop pan and bring to a boil, scraping. Stir in the asparagus, plus any escaped juices, and reheat.
• Make a nest of the asparagus on each plate and pour the juices over them. Arrange six scallop pieces on each nest and serve at once.

SOBA WITH GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND SEA SCALLOPS WITH SWEET MISO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, sake, mirin, and rice vinegar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the white miso, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the oil and whisk until well combined. Set the miso glaze aside.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook the noodles until tender yet firm, about 3 minutes. Drain, shock under cold running water, and drain again.
• Heat a well-oiled grill pan over medium heat. Brush the asparagus and scallops with all or most of the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the asparagus first until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes total, rolling them about to heat them evenly all around. Divide and top each noodle serving with asparagus. Grill the scallops in the same pan until cooked through and crisp on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Divide the scallops among the servings of noodles, and spoon some miso glaze over each. Serve garnished with toasted walnuts.

SEARED SCALLOPS AND ASPARAGUS WITH ASIAN CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Finely chop peppercorns in processor. Cook sake, shallots, ginger, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon chopped peppercorns in small saucepan over medium heat until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 15 minutes. Add cream; simmer until liquid coats spoon, about 6 minutes. Strain into another small saucepan.
• Cook asparagus in saucepan of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Drain. Refresh under cold water; drain. Sprinkle remaining chopped peppercorns over both sides of scallops. Season with salt.
• Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add scallops; cook until golden and almost cooked through, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add asparagus; sauté until scallops are cooked through and asparagus is hot, about 30 seconds. Arrange scallops on plates. Bring sauce to simmer. Spoon sauce around scallops. Garnish with asparagus. Sprinkle with chives.