Sauteed Scallops With Hazelnut Vinaigrette And White Bean Purée Recipes

PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS WITH BROWN BUTTER, HAZELNUTS AND WHITE TRUFFLE OIL WITH ROASTED FINGERLING POTATOES AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• For the potatoes: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, toss the fingerling potatoes with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the potatoes to a roasting pan and bake for about 25 minutes. Test with fork for tenderness. Remove them from oven to a bowl and set aside.
• For the asparagus: Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus and blanch until they become bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove and plunge into an ice bath or rinse under cold water.
• For the scallops: Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium heat until very hot and add the olive oil. Season scallops lightly with salt and pepper. When oil is hot, add the scallops and saute the first side until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. Turn the scallops over, and after 1 minute, add the butter and the hazelnuts. When scallops are seared, transfer them to a plate and keep warm.
• Add lemon juice to the butter and hazelnuts. When the butter has browned add the 2 tablespoons of the chopped parsley. (Add 1 or 2 drops of white truffle oil to the butter, if desired.)
• Toss the potatoes and asparagus in the brown butter until heated through. Transfer the vegetables to a serving platter. Position the scallops over the vegetables and garnish with chopped parsley. Drizzle remaining brown butter over scallops and serve.

SAUTEED SCALLOPS WITH HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE AND WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon nut oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, nuts and ginger; sauté until onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in vinegar, honey and 3 tablespoons nut oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle scallops with thyme, salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off excess. Melt 1/2 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of scallops; sauté until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to warm plate. Repeat with remaining butter, olive oil and scallops.
• Spoon White Bean Puree onto 6 plates. Top with scallops. Stir basil into vinaigrette and spoon over scallops.

SOUTHWEST SAUTéED SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Heat water to boiling in 1-quart saucepan. Add chili. Boil 5 minutes; drain. Remove stem and seeds; finely chop chili.
• Melt margarine in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook onions, lime juice and chili in margarine, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender. Carefully stir in scallops. Cook over medium heat about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until scallops are white.
• Stir in pineapple and pea pods; cook until hot. Remove scallop mixture with slotted spoon; keep warm.
• Heat liquid in skillet to boiling. Boil until slightly thickened and reduced to about half. Spoon scallop mixture onto fettuccine. Pour liquid over scallop mixture.

WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon; sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add carrot, onion and rosemary; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add cannellini and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Puree mixture in processor. Return to saucepan. Season with salt and pepper.

PAN ROASTED SCALLOPS W SWEET POTATO PUREE AND WALNUT VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• For the puree: Wash the yam and towel dry. Puncture it with a fork in several places, season it with salt and pepper, wrap it in a damp paper towel and microwave on high for approximately 3 minutes (until the center is cooked and soft). Cut the cooked yam in half long ways and scoop out the flesh. Puree in a food processor or with a blender. Season with butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• For the vinaigrette: Place walnuts on a baking sheet and cover with the granulated sugar. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Then, in a bowl, whisk together the walnut oil, 4 tsp of olive oil, vinegar, walnuts, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• For the scallops: Season the scallops with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a non-stick pan on high heat (7 out of 10 on my stove) with the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil. Sauté the scallops a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Total sauté time should be about 6 minutes.
• Once scallops are ready, quickly toss 2 tsps of the vinaigrette with the arugula leaves in a separate bowl.
• For assembly: Spread the puree onto each plate into a flat pancake (you can warm the puree in the microwave if it has become cold). Top the puree pancakes with a small pile of seasoned arugula leaves. Then place 3 sautéed scallops on top of the leaves. Finish each plate by drizzling the vinaigrette over the top, drizzling around the plates edge for a "gourmet" finish!