Seared Pan Fried Limed Scallops With Bacon Chives And Chervil Food

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Heat a large saute pan over medium-low heat, and add bacon. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.
• Drain excess fat, leaving a thin coat on bottom of pan. Increase heat to medium, add scallops to pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until golden brown and opaque, about 2 minutes per side.
• Transfer scallops to the serving dish, and add shallots to pan. When shallots are translucent, add white wine; scrape browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in butter, and pour over scallops; top with reserved bacon. Serve over ribbon zucchini.

SEARED PAN-FRIED LIMED SCALLOPS WITH BACON, CHIVES AND CHERVIL

Steps:

• First, make the dressing - this can be made up to one day in advance.
• Mix the walnut vinegar, olive or sunflower oil, honey & Dijon mustard together in a jar. Add salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste. Seal and set to one side.
• About 1 hour before you want to serve the scallops, wash them, pat them dry, and then leave them to marinate in the zest and juice of the lime. Mix them around, ensuring that they all get a coating of the lime.
• Then, cook the streaky bacon in a large frying pan until very crispy and well coloured. Set the one side.
• When you wish to serve the salad, arrange all the leaves into attractive individual salad bowls or plates.
• In a large frying pan or skillet, add a mere dash of olive oil to grease the pan and set it over a very high heat. As soon as the frying pan is very hot, add the scallops - watch them VERY closely, they need about 2 minutes EACH side depending on the size and thickness of them - you must NOT overcook them!
• When they have been seared & cooked both sides, take them out of the frying pan & arrange them over the top of the salad leaves. (Six scallops per person for a main meal and four per person for a starter.).
• Pour the dressing over the top and then crumble the bacon over - keeping fairly large pieces. (Three rashers per person for a main meal and 2 rashers per person for a starter.).
• Finally, liberally sprinkle the chopped chervil and chives over the top of the salad; garnish with cherry tomatoes & a slice of lime if you wish.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEMON AND BACON

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon pieces until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Reserve the bacon fat in the skillet and transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
• Meanwhile, arrange the scallops so they lay flat and are evenly spaced on a plate. Pat them completely dry with a paper towel. Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
• Cook the scallops, undisturbed, over high heat until they are golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the scallops and cook for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat, add the lemon zest and juice, parsley and reserved bacon pieces and toss to combine. Divide the scallops among 4 plates or a serving platter and serve immediately.

PAN-FRIED SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Fry the scallops in the olive oil for about 1 min until golden, then flip them over and sprinkle over the garlic cloves and chopped fresh red chilli into the pan. Cook for about 1 min more, then squeeze over the juice of the lime.
• Finish off with roughly chopped coriander and salt and pepper. Serve straight away.

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.