Sea Scallops And Minced Vegetables With Parsley Pesto And Garlic Broth Recipes

GRIDDLED SEA SCALLOPS WITH SPAGHETTI SQUASH, FIELD PEA RELISH AND "RED HOT" LEMON BUTTER

Steps:

• For the squash: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. and roast the whole squash on a baking sheet about 45 minutes. Let cool and cut the squash in half. Scoop the seeds out and gently spoon the squash out of the skin into a bowl, keeping the strands as intact as possible. Gently stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• For the field pea relish: Cook the bacon in a saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Add the carrot celery and onion and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the peas and cover with water. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook until the peas are tender. Strain and cool the peas in a large bowl. Add the red bell pepper, basil, garlic oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and toss well.
• For the lemon beurre blanc: Simmer the wine, garlic, shallots and lemon zest and juice in a saucepot over medium-high heat until reduced by half. Add the heavy cream and reduce by half again. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter slowly, piece by piece, until incorporated fully. Strain through a fine strainer and hold in a warm place until ready to use.
• For the scallops: Heat the vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet or griddle over high heat.
• Add the scallops and brown them on one side. Turn them over and cook to medium, about 3 minutes. Remove the scallops and add the rest of the butter. Add 2 separate piles of spaghetti squash to the pan and flatten with a spatula. Cook until brown, turn them over and continue to cook until browned on both sides.
• Plate the scallops on 2 plates with the spaghetti squash "hash" in the center
• Drizzle some of the buere blanc around the scallops and finish the plates with some field pea relish and a drizzle of hot sauce.

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.

BUTTERY SCALLOPS WITH LEMON AND HERBS

Steps:

• Season scallops lightly on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add 3 tablespoons butter and let melt. Place seasoned scallops in the pan in a single layer without touching. (Do this in batches if necessary, using another tablespoon of butter if needed for the second batch.) Cook without moving until bottoms are golden brown, 3 minutes.
• Flip the scallops and add another tablespoon of butter to the pan. Stir in garlic and thyme, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute longer.
• If you took any of the scallops out of the pan to cook them in batches, put them back in now. Pour lemon juice on top of all the scallops, sprinkle with the lemon zest, and toss everything gently to combine.
• Transfer scallops to serving plates and sprinkle red-pepper flakes on top. Garnish with chopped soft herbs and lemon wedges, and serve immediately.

GARLIC BROTH

Steps:

• Cut the garlic cloves in half lengthwise and, if necessary, remove the green germ growing through the center. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Stir in the garlic cloves and cook, stirring often, until the outside of the garlic is translucent and cloves are soft, about 20 minutes. Don't let the garlic brown. Pour in water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes. The garlic will be very tender. To eat the broth on its own, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add vegetables as desired. If using as a soup stock in other recipes, omit the salt and pepper.