Seared Scallops With Saffron Rice Food

PAN SEARED SCALLOPS WITH SAFFRON RICE

Steps:

• Make Saffron Rice: Pour stock into a medium-size pot (you will also need a tight-fitting lid). Place pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir in remaining rice ingredients. When stock is boiling, stir in the rice. Return to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce heat to low. Cook 12 to 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Without stirring, turn off the heat and, with the lid on, leave the pot on the burner another 5 to 10 minutes. The residual heat will finish cooking the rice. You can keep the rice warm for an hour or more if you need to hold it. Stir in peas if using. Before serving, fluff with two forks. Adjust seasonings, adding a little salt or another squeeze of lemon juice if needed. While the rice is cooking, saute the scallops and mushrooms: In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter together over medium-high heat until just starting to smoke. Quickly add half of scallops to pan, flat side down. When the first side is golden brown, flip over and cook for another minute. Transfer to a baking dish. Repeat with remaining scallops, adding more oil or butter if needed. Having a hot pan will give you the best results. Tent scallops with foil to keep warm. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and shallot in the butter until they release their liquid and some of it has evaporated. You want the mushrooms to still be a little firm. Set on a back burner and cover to keep warm. Make the Butter-Wine Sauce: Heat wine, lemon juice, zest, garlic, shallots, and thyme sprigs in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the liquid boils, then lower the heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced down to about 2 tbsp, about 10 minutes. (To help know when you've reduced the sauce enough, place 2 tbsp water in a small bowl and use it to estimate the volume.) You can make the sauce to this point and hold it for up to a day. Reheat before continuing. Remove thyme sprigs, reduce the heat to low, and start adding the pieces of butter, one or two at a time, whisking rapidly. As the butter melts, add more pieces whisking constantly. When you only have a few pieces left, remove pan from heat and whisk in the last few pieces. The finished sauce should be thick and smooth. Season to taste with salt. Add scallops to sauce to reheat them. To Plate: Place a mound of rice in center of plate and top with scallops. Pour sauce around the edge of plate and scatter mushrooms over the top. Decorate with a sprig of thyme if you like. Serve hot.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH A CORN, BACON AND AVOCADO RELISH

Steps:

• Take a small bowl and place it upside-down inside a large bowl. (This will provide a small stand for your corn, making it easier to remove the kernels, and the large bowl will catch them as the fall, avoiding a mess.) Using a knife, remove the kernels from the corn, letting them fall into the bowl.
• Dice the onion and red bell pepper and add them to the bowl with the corn. Add 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Mix to evenly distribute the ingredients.
• Set a pan over medium heat and add some oil. Add the corn mixture to the pan and cook until the onions begin to soften, tossing occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Sprinkle the sea scallops with salt and pepper. Set a pan over medium-high heat and add some oil. Add the scallops and sear until golden in color, about 1 minute on each side. Remove from the heat and let rest.
• Dice the avocados and add them to the corn relish along with the chopped bacon. Season with salt and pepper and mix together.
• Evenly distribute the relish among 4 plates and top each with 4 scallops. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

SHOW-STOPPER SEARED SCALLOPS WITH LEMON SCENTED BREAD CRUMBS AND FETTUCCINE WITH SAFFRON AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring 1-inch of water to a boil in a large skillet as well as a large pot of water, for pasta. When the water in the skillet comes up to a boil, add salt and asparagus and blanch for 2 minutes, drain and reserve. When the pasta water comes up to a boil, salt it and cook fettuccine to al dente.
• While the pasta water comes up to a boil, in the pan which you blanched the asparagus in, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, over medium heat then add garlic and shallot and saute 4 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with wine, reduce 30 seconds then add stock, tomatoes and a pinch of saffron or an envelope of saffron powder. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cream then season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
• While sauce cooks, heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add butter, melt then add the bread crumbs and toast them. Add salt and pepper, lemon zest and parsley, remove and reserve. Wipe pan clean and return the skillet to medium-high heat and preheat until very hot. Drizzle scallops with extra-virgin olive oil and add to hot pan to caramelize on each side, 3 minutes on the first side 2 on the second.
• Chop asparagus into 1-inch pieces on an angle and add to sauce. Drain pasta and toss with asparagus and sauce. Serve pasta with seared scallops, 4 per person, alongside and top the scallops with the lemon scented bread crumbs.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH CHAMPAGNE SAFFRON SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat, add the saffron threads and toast them just until they start to give off their aroma(not very long, be sure not to burn them).
• Take the saffron threads out of the skillet and set aside.
• Melt half of the butter in the pan and start frying the scallops in batches, adding more butter as needed. Fry them so they are cooked through and lightly browned on each side.
• Transfer the scallops to a warm dish and keep covered.
• Add the saffron to the cooking juices, along with the champagne, cream, and any reserved scallop juices and stir.
• Bring to a boil, and then lower the heat slightly and simmer for about 10 minutes, until reduced to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
• Add freshly squeezed lemon juice from the half a lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Return the scallops to the pan and stir until just heated through.
• Transfer to plates and garnish with parsley. Enjoy :).

SEA SCALLOPS WITH SHERRY AND SAFFRON COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Season scallops on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add scallops (work in batches; use remaining oil if necessary, depending on size of pan); cook until golden brown and caramelized, about 1 minute on each side. When cooked, pour off any fat remaining in pan. Set aside scallops on a plate covered with foil.
• Return pan to heat. Deglaze pan with sherry, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer until sherry is reduced by two-thirds. Add stock, butter, saffron, thyme, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; add couscous. Cover the pan; remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. Uncover; fluff with a fork; adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with scallops.

SCALLOPS IN SAFFRON SAUCE

Steps:

• Put wine, fish stock and saffron in a pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
• Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook for five minutes or until soft. Add the scallops and cook gently for five minutes stirring occasionally, or until they turn just opaque. Be careful not to overcook.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the scallops from the skillet and transfer to a warmed plate. Add the saffron liquid to the skillet, bring to a boil, and boil rapidly until reduced to about half. Lower the heat and gradually stir in the cream, just a little at a time. Let simmer gently until the sauce thickens.
• Return the scallops to the skillet and let simmer for 1-2 minutes just to heat them through. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. serve the scallops hot, garnished with parsley, and accompanied by chunks or slices of crusty bread for mopping up the saffron sauce.