Messing around in the kitchen - garlic scallops

[David M. Bueker]

The wife is out of town, so I make things she would never eat. Tonight I took some large scallops and seared them in a butter/olive oil mix with lots of chopped garlic, salt, pepper and a bit of hot pepper for some kick. When all was done I ate the scallops and put the toasted garlic on a baked potato. Major yum factor!

David - sounds great! Do you use very high heat when searing the scallops? When do you put the garlic in - before or with the scallops? Any wine? (Sorry for all the questions but I want to try this.)

[David M. Bueker]

Bearing in mind that this was a "seat of the pants" dinner the methodology was:

-season scallops with salt & pepper
-heat a 50/50 mixture of olive oil & butter over medium heat
-put scallops in the pan & cook on one side until they are a nice golden color - add the garlic after a minute or two of cooking (I used 5 cloves, minced)
-turn scallops - add some red pepper at this point if you want a touch of heat
-continue cooking until the scallops are golden on the other side

Serve. I put the toasted garlic on my baked potato.

Thanks, David - I think the potatoe might just be the highlight of the meal but for my love of scallops.

I love scallops, too. Here is a quick and easy sauce that I make separately as I sear the scallops:

Half cup fresh OJ and some orange zest
Half cup of white wine
A few or more sprigs of fresh tarragon
Salt & pepper

Combine in a small non-stick skillet and boil to reduce to half or less.
Finish with a couple of tablespoons of cold butter to thicken and silken.