Seared Scallops With Leeks And Caviar Sauce Recipes

PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS WITH MELTED LEEKS

Steps:

• Stir together olives, chile, lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon oil, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
• Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium. Add leeks, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 12 to 16 minutes. Divide mixture among plates. Wipe skillet clean.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in skillet over high. Season scallops with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add scallops to skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and mostly opaque, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve scallops over leeks with olive mixture and parsley.

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.

SCALLOPS IN LEEK SAUCE AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Rinse the scallops, drain and set aside. Remove and discard the root and dark green outer leaves of the leeks, along with any damaged or wilted inner leaves.
• Cut the leeks into 3-inch chunks and halve the chunks. Slice the leeks into small, thin strips to create a fine julienne. (You should have about 3 1/2 lightly packed cups.) Place the leeks in a sieve, rinse under cool water and drain.
• Place the leeks in a saucepan with 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, for about 8 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving the juice. (You should have about 1/2 cup of juice.) Set the leeks and the juice aside separately.
• When ready to serve, place the leek juice in a saucepan with the scallops. Add the wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook gently for 1 minute. Remove the scallops with a slotted spoon and add the cream to the juice in the saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil. Mix in the dissolved potato starch and stir until the mixture thickens slightly.
• Reheat the leeks in a microwave oven or over direct heat. Divide them among 4 plates. Arrange the scallops on top and spoon some sauce over them. In a bowl, gently mix the red and black caviar together with the oil until the grains separate. Sprinkle on top of the scallops. Serve immediately.

SEARED SEA SCALLOPS IN A VODKA LEEK SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in saute pan until sizzling. Add scallops and sear quickly (about 1 minute), leaving center of scallop under cooked.
• Remove scallops from pan; set aside. Reduce heat; add leeks to pan and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes.
• Add vodka and return scallops to pan. Cook until vodka is reduced, 1-2 minutes.
• Add remaining butter a tablespoon at a time until sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

SCALLOPS WITH LEEKS

Steps:

• Remove the scallops from their shells, or ask your fishmonger to do this. Separate the white flesh from the corals, and detach the hard skin around the white and the tiny black sack from the coral. Wash clean under a running tap. Halve the whites horizontally. Leave to dry off on some paper towels.
• Wash the leeks and discard the green parts. Slice the white stems lengthwise into narrow strips about 2 inches long. Place in a saucepan with 1-ounce of the butter, a pinch of salt and 8 tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Keep hot.
• In another pan melt the rest of the butter and then gently cook the shallots until they are soft. Add the wine, vermouth and scallops with their corals. Bring just to the boiling point, then turn the heat very low and simmer for exactly 2 minutes, or less if the scallops are small.
• Remove the leeks from their liquid using a slotted spoon and place in the heated dish. With the same spoon place the scallops on top. Add the leek juice to the scallop juice and boil until the liquid is reduced to 8 tablespoons. Pour in the cream, return to the boil and bubble for a moment or two. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the scallops. Scatter with the chopped parsley.

SEARED SEA SCALLOPS WITH CRèME FRAîCHE AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Cook scallops until golden on bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn over; sauté until just cooked through, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Cool to room temperature.
• Top each scallop with 1/2 teaspoon crème fraîche. Top with caviar. Garnish with chives and serve.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEEKS AND CAVIAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender but not brown, about 20 minutes. Add Champagne and boil until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 4 minutes. Transfer leek mixture to strainer set over bowl. Press on leeks to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer leeks to small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return liquid to same skillet. Add cream and boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Transfer sauce to bowl; cool 1 hour.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add scallops to skillet and sauté until just cooked through and golden brown, about 3 minutes per side for each batch. Transfer to plate.
• Spoon leeks in 5 small mounds around rim of each plate, spacing equally. Top each mound with 1 scallop. Stir caviar and tarragon into sauce. Spoon sauce into center of each plate.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH HERB BUTTER SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until quite hot.
• Pat scallops dry one more time and put them in the pan in a single, uncrowded layer.
• Season with salt and pepper and let sear undisturbed until one side is browned and crisp, 2-4 minutes.
• Using tongs, turn the scallops and sear until the second side is well browned and the scallops are almost firm to the touch, 2-4 minutes.
• Take the pan off the heat, transfer the scallops to a plate, and set them in a warm spot.
• Let the pan cool for a minutes before you make the sauce.
• When pan has cooled somewhat, return it to medium heat.
• Add a piece of the butter and the shallots and saute until shallots begin to soften, about 1 minutes.
• Add wine and simmer until reduced by half, another 1-2 minutes.
• Add the herbs and lemon zest.
• Reduce heat to low, add the remaining butter, and whisk constantly until the butter melts into the sauce.
• Return the scallops and any accumulated juices to the pan.
• Gently roll the scallops in the sauce to warm them through.
• Taste for salt and pepper and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over the scallops.

SCALLOPS WITH LEEKS IN CHAMPAGNE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over low heat. Add shallots, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add leeks and champagne; season with salt and pepper. Cook until leeks are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops to skillet in a single layer, and cook until just golden brown on both sides. Remove scallops; set aside. Divide leek mixture between 4 plates. Top with scallops, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEEKS & LEMON CHILLI BUTTER

Steps:

• For the butter, mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, then beat well with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps of butter left. Spoon onto a large sheet of cling film, then wrap tightly in a sausage shape. Chill until firm (or put in the freezer if you're short of time).
• Set up a pan with a steamer or suspend a heatproof colander over the top of a pan. Cut the leeks in half lengthways, then slice into long strips, about the thickness of tagliatelle. Cover, then steam for 6 mins until tender, with no signs of squeakiness. Season, then set aside.
• Dry the scallops on kitchen paper and season. Heat a heavy-based pan, then add the oil. Once hot, add the scallops, keeping them close together - this helps the sides to stay straight and tall rather than sagging. Sizzle for 2 mins until caramelised and you can see the heat creeping up the outside. Turn over with a palette knife, then fry for 1 min more. Take off the heat, then add a few good slices of the butter to the pan, spooning over the scallops as it melts.
• To serve, wind a nest of warm leeks in the centre of 4 plates, top each with 3 scallops, spoon over the buttery sauce (it looks smart trickled around the plate), then sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Squeeze over a little lemon juice before you tuck in.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH CABBAGE AND LEEKS

Steps:

• Heat 4 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick frypan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
• Add leek, cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes; Stir in cabbage, and add stock.
• Cook stirring occasionally, until cabbage is slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and season with fresh ground pepper; set aside.
• Sprinkle scallops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and season with freshly ground pepper. Heat remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons oil in another large nonstick frypan, over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add scallops, cook, turning once , until dark golden, about 4 minutes per side.
• Divide cabbage mixture between four plates and top each serving with 3 scallops, garnish with lemon slices.