PAN SEARED SCALLOPS WITH CRUNCHY APPLE SALAD

About

Brenda Gantt

I am a self-taught cook. I started cooking around 18 years old. I stood in the kitchen and watched my mother, who was my biggest inspiration at the time, cook.

Scallops are cooked when the outside is golden brown and the center is just going from translucent to opaque. Any longer than 2 minutes on each side and they’ll get tough, so it’s essential that you stand over them and remember the order you put them in the pan. The simple salad goes equally well with crab or
lobster.

SERVES 2

 

FOR THE SALAD

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 sharp apple, such as Granny Smith
  • 2 handfuls of mâche
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Juice and zest of ½ lemon
  • Olive oil

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Peel, core, and cut the apple into julienne strips.
  2. Mix with the mâche and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add some of the lemon zest (keeping a little back to garnish) and squeeze over the juice.
  4. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and mix well.

 

FOR THE SCALLOPS

INGREDIENTS

  • Olive oil
  • 6 large scallops, cleaned
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Juice of ½ lemon

 

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over high heat until smoking hot, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  2. Lay the scallops out on a cutting board, pat dry with paper towels, and season one side with salt and pepper.
  3. Think of the frying pan as a clock face and add the scallops, one by one, seasoned side down, in a clockwise order, then sear for 1–2 minutes until golden brown.
  4. Season the unseasoned side of the scallops, then flip them over in the same order you placed them in the pan and repeat the process.
  5. Squeeze the lemon juice over the scallops and give the pan a good shake.
  6. When the scallops are cooked, tip the contents of the pan onto a plate lined with paper towels.

 

TO ASSEMBLE

  1. Divide the salad between 2 serving plates and arrange the scallops around each pile.
  2. Garnish with the remaining lemon zest and serve immediately.

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