Zesty Polynesian Scallops Recipes

ISLAND-STYLE SEARED SCALLOPS WITH MANGO SALSA

Steps:

• Place the rice in a colander and rinse several times with cold water until the water runs clear. Set aside. Add the coconut milk & water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add in the rinsed rice. Stir to combine. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low, simmering gently for 15 minutes, or until most of the coconut milk has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Finish the rice by fluffing it with a fork, then carefully folding in the salt, lime zest, lime juice, & cilantro. Set aside for serving.
• Meanwhile, as the rice cooks, clean the scallops. Remove the scallops from the packaging. Quickly rinse under cold water. Check each scallop for its side muscle (the adductor muscle that attached the scallop to its shell): if present, it will look like a small, rectangular tag right along the side of the scallop, with its fibers running opposite the fibers in the scallop itself. Use your fingers to gently tear it away. Transfer the cleaned scallops to a paper towel-lined plate. Gently press a second piece of paper towel over top to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, as the rice cooks, prep the mango salsa. Add all listed ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside for serving, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Add the avocado oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the scallops generously with salt & ground black pepper. Once the oil is hot, cook the scallops: working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, carefully transfer the scallops to the skillet. Cook, giving the pan a gentle shake every so often, for 2-3 minutes, until a deep golden crust has formed on bottom of the scallops. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the scallops are opaque & cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
• Spoon some coconut rice into individual bowls. Top with a generous spoonful of mango salsa. Top it off with 3-4 seared scallops. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice or sprinkling of extra cilantro, as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

ZESTY POLYNESIAN SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Broil the scallops for 4 minutes, then turn and broil 2 more minutes.
• In a large saucepan, sauté the chopped onion in the olive oil until tender. Add the sliced mushrooms, bell pepper strips, and chopped tomato; cook until all the vegetables are heated through.
• Arranged the sautéed vegetables on a platter. Top with the broiled scallops. Layer the avacado slices on top of the scallops, then spread mango salsa over the the avacado slices. Top with sour cream, and garnish with green onion slices.

SPICY PAN SEARED SCALLOPS RECIPE

Steps:

• If frozen, thaw scallops overnight in the refrigerator. If the scallops have the mini muscle on the sides, go ahead and remove those. Don't worry, you will be able to see these little pieces of flesh on the sides of the scallops. Just use your fingers to pinch it and pull it off the scallop then discard. Next place the scallops on layers of paper towels then cover with paper towels. Leave them for 10-15 minutes to dry out. Salt scallops. Mix melted butter and chili sauce, set aside. Heat oil in cast iron pan over high heat 3-4 minutes. Place scallops flat side down in pan and cook 2 minutes to sear. Flip scallops and cook approximately 2 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove pan from heat then spoon chili butter mixture over the top of the scallops Serve topped with buttery chili sauce and fresh parsley.

SPICY STIR-FRY WITH SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the peanut oil.
• In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger and sriracha. Set aside.
• Add the scallops to the skillet and sear until nice and browned, 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
• Crank up the heat to high. Add the baby corn, squash and broccoli and cook, stirring everything around, for 2 minutes. Then add the snow peas and chile pepper and continue to cook for about 1 minute.
• Give the reserved sauce a quick stir and add it to the skillet along with 1/2 cup water. Continue to cook until the sauce thickens, about a minute or two. Add the scallops back to the skillet and gently stir to coat them in the sauce.
• Serve immediately over rice and garnish with the scallions and cilantro.

POLYNESIAN SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Cut scallops in half or quarters depending upon size.
• Dry with paper towels.
• Dredge in flour, dip in beaten egg, then roll in coconut.
• Let dry on waxed paper in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
• While scallops are drying, heat chutney and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until butter is melted and mixture is heated through. Keep warm.
• In a deep skillet, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 degrees F. and fry the scallops a few at a time, until coconut is browned lightly, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Drain on paper towels and keep warm until all are done.
• Serve on wooden toothpicks with warmed chutney sauce.

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.