Pan Seared Scallops with Plum and Basil Sauce
Made with delicious antioxidant-rich California plums, this recipe is a wonderful addition to your healthful summertime menus. Antioxidants are critical to maintaining healthy skin and counteracting the damaging effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Your friends and family will enjoy the benefits of this delicious recipe long after the scallops are gone.
Olive oil
12 fresh California plums, pitted and diced
3 shallots, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 pound butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 bunch of basil, chopped medium fine
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-1/4 pounds of sea scallops
Sprig of fresh basil, if desired for garnish
In a medium saucepan add a touch of olive oil, and the plums, shallots and garlic, and cook until shallots are translucent. Add white wine and lemon juice. Let cook for three minutes.
Strain ingredients using a mesh strainer over a medium-size bowl. Use a spatula and gently press down on cooked mixture to extract liquid. Add 1/2 the liquid to a blender and on medium high, add half of the cubed butter, one chip at a time, to incorporate. Pour 1/2 the olive oil in a steady stream to the emulsion, then add salt and pepper to taste. Repeat process with second half of the ingredients then combine sauce in a medium saucepan placed on low heat. Add chopped basil to sauce and stir to incorporate. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
Pat scallops dry with a paper towel to remove moisture and sear them in a skillet over medium high heat with one tablespoon olive oil (and 2 tablespoons of butter if desired). Allow scallops to caramelize, about 2-3 minutes, then gently turn over and sear second side for 2 minutes until cooked through.
Pour 1/2 the sauce on warm dinner plates and place scallops on top, 8-9 if medium size scallops are used, 5 if large, deep ocean scallops are used. Garnish with a sprig of basil and a small dusting of lemon zest if desired, and serve at once. Reserve remaining sauce and pass at the table. Makes four 5-ounce servings.
Nutrition information (5 ounces of scallops plus 1/2 cup sauce) – PROTEIN: 21 grams; FAT: 40 grams; CARBOHYDRATE: 22 grams; FIBER: 3 grams; SODIUM: 353 milligrams; CHOLESTEROL: 75 milligrams; CALORIES: 550 calories
For more recipes and information on California peaches, plums and nectarines, visit www.eatcaliforniafruit.com.
Spanishchef Info
What are Scallops?
Scallops are a popular type of shellfish in both Eastern and Western cooking. They are characterized by having two types of meat in one shell: the adductor muscle, called “scallop” which is white and meaty, and the roe, called “coral”, which is red or white and soft.
In Western cuisine, scallops are commonly sautéed in butter, or else breaded and deep fried. When a scallop is prepared, the byssus, also called the beard, which tends to be tough, is usually discarded or used later on for stock. Sometimes, markets sell scallops already prepared in the shell, with only the adductor muscle intact. Outside the U.S. the scallop is often sold whole.
Scallops that are without any additives are called “dry packed”, while scallops that are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) are called “wet packed”. STPP causes the scallops to absorb moisture prior to the freezing process, thereby getting a better price per unit of weight. The freezing process takes about two days.
In Japanese cuisine, scallops may be served in soup or prepared as sashimi or sushi. Dried scallop is known in Cantonese Chinese cuisine as conpoy.
In a sushi bar, hotategai is the traditional scallop on rice, and while kaibashira may be called scallops, it is actually the adductor muscle of any kind of shellfish, e.g. mussels, oysters, or clams.
Scallops have lent their name to the culinary term scalloped, which originally referred to seafood creamed and served hot in the shell (Rombauer 1964). Today it means a creamed casserole dish such as scalloped potatoes, which contains no seafood at all.
