Ingredients
Parsley Garlic Butter
1-1/4 cups loosely-packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
5 tbsp sweet butter, at room temperature
Scallops
4 ounces mache, baby spinach or watercress (about 4
cups)
2 lbs dry-packed medium scallops, placed in a single layer
on a dinner plate. Pat dry
with a paper towel to remove surface moisture.
Medium coarse salt and ground pepper as needed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
On the side
Crusty bread, sliced--to sop up the delicious sauce!
MethodPrepare the Mache
Rinse the greens with cool water and spin in a salad
spinner. Place in the serving bowl that you are going to use and
cover with a damp paper towel and keep in the refrigerator so
that the greens stay lovely and crisp for you.
Prepare the Parsley Garlic Butter
Finely chop parsley and garlic together. Place in a bowl,
add the softened butter and lemon zest and mash together with a
fork until well combined. This can be made in a food processor.
Prepare the Scallops
Heat a large cast iron or stainless steel pan over
high hear until quite hot (when you can't hold your hand
over the surface of the pan for more than 5 seconds).
Meanwhile, generously season scallops with salt and pepper.
Once the pan is hot, add oil and then scallops, slowly feeding
them into the pan, being careful not to crowd the pan which
would lower the temperature.
As the scallops form a crusty brown sear on the bottom, 3-4
minutes, stack them on top of each other and add more to the pan
as you go along. When all the scallops are browned on one side,
remove pan from heat, add the parsley garlic butter to the pan
and, as it melts, gently toss the scallops until glossy and
evenly coated. Return to the heat and cover the pan and let them
cook for another minute of two if needed.
Transfer the scallops and all the pan juices from the pan to
the bowl of greens. Add the lemon juice and toss to coat the
greens.
This dish can be portioned either as an individual appetizer
"bite," a first-course plate or as a light lunch or dinner
entrée that is preceded by a cup of Roast Tomato Soup, for
instance, and followed with a Warm Baked Apple--perfect for the
colder weather! However you plan to serve this wonderful dish,
use it immediately and don't forget the crusty bread to sop up
the buttery juices. Bon Appétit!
Click here to see
the Landau's tip
November 2009
