October 2: National Fried Scallops Day

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Seared Sea Scallops w/Purple Asparagus
Categories: Seafood, Vegetables, Wine
Yield: 2 Servings

1/4 c Aged balsamic vinegar *
1 lb Purple asparagus; can sub
- green asparagus
1 tb + 1 ts unsalted butter;
- divided
1 ts Extra-virgin olive oil
8 lg Dry-packed sea scallops;
- patted dry
Salt
2 cl Garlic; minced
1 Shallot; minced
1/4 c Sauvignon Blanc wine
pn Pepper

* I recommend a high-quality 18-year aged balsamic vinegar

Set a large pot of salted water over high heat; bring to
boil. Prepare and ice bath and preheat the oven to
350ºF/175ºC.

To make the balsamic glaze: pour the balsamic vinegar into a
small saucepan or saute pan. Set the pan over medium-low
heat and simmer the vinegar until reduced by half (will have
a syrup-like consistency), about 5 minutes. Be careful it
doesn’t burn. Set aside.

Note: leftover balsamic glaze works well as a salad
dressing.

Remove the two thickest stalks of asparagus from the bunch
and set aside. Trim the tough ends off the remaining
asparagus and discard. Cut the asparagus on an angle into
2" long pieces then blanch in the boiling water just
until tender, about 1 minute. Drain the asparagus and
immediately submerge in an ice bath. Drain once cool and set
aside.

Set a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1
tablespoon butter and the olive oil. Pat the scallops dry
and season with salt. Once the butter has melted and stopped
foaming, set the scallops in the pan and sear until browned
on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the scallops over and
cook for 30 seconds, then transfer the scallops to an
oven-save dish and place it in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes
until the scallops are just cooked through (think
medium-rare). Remove from the oven and tent lightly with
foil to keep warm.

Make the sauce while the scallops are baking. Return the
saute pan used to cook the scallops to medium heat. Stir in
the garlic and shallots and cook until fragrant, about 1
minute. Stir in the asparagus and cook until heated through,
then pour in the white wine. Simmer until the wine has
reduced by half, about 2 minutes, then stir in the remaining
1 teaspoon butter. Season to taste with salt and a pinch of
pepper.

Prepare asparagus shavings by laying the reserved thick
stalks on the cutting board. Hold the bottom end of the
asparagus with one hand and use a vegetable peeler to shave
long strips off the stalk.

Plate the dish by dividing the cooked asparagus between two
dinner plates. Top each with four scallops then pour the
white wine sauce over the top. Arrange a small pile of
asparagus shavings over the scallops and lightly drizzle 1
teaspoon balsamic glaze on each plate.

Serves 2

From: http://foodiereflections.com

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