Seared Scallops With Pineapple Sweet Chili Sauce Recipes

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH SWEET CHILLI SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the ginger, coriander and garlic in a pestle and mortar, then pound to a paste. Add the oil and mix through. Pour over the scallops and rub in until they are covered with the mixture. Thread each scallop onto a skewer (see Know-how, below). Can be done up to 1 day in advance.
• To cook, heat a non-stick frying pan until really hot. Place a couple of skewers in the pan and cook for 2 mins, until starting to turn golden. Turn over, drizzle with more oil if needed, then cook for another min. Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PINEAPPLE

Steps:

• Season scallops with salt, pepper and chili flakes.
• In a hot pan (I prefer cast iron) add oil. When the oil starts to smoke add scallops and watch closely to make sure its not too hot.
• Sear the scallops until golden brown on both sides, but only flip once.
• Remove and set aside on a plate.
• Next add the chopped garlic and cook for just a minute or two, then add the wine.
• The garlic and wine should start to simmer, continue this until its reduced.
• Then add the pineapple and stir around to coat.
• Pour it all over the scallops and garnish. Serve immediately.
• For the wine I prefer to use Alice White Lexia, its smooth and has more of a fruity flavor.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PINEAPPLE-GINGER SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the chicken broth, pineapple juice concentrate, and ginger in a small bowl. Set the scallops on a plate and drizzle with the oil; turn to coat. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. About 2 min. before searing the scallops, set a heavy-based 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat and turn on the exhaust fan.
• When the pan is very hot, add the scallops. Cook over high heat until they develop an even, rich brown crust, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from the heat and transfer the scallops to a plate.
• Return the empty skillet to the heat and add the pineapple juice mixture; boil until the liquid reduces by about half. Tilting the skillet so that the reduced liquid is at one side of the pan, whisk in the butter. Spoon a portion of the sauce over the scallops and serve immediately.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ASIAN LIME-CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak skewers in water 30 minutes.
• Pound garlic, chile, and sugar to a fine paste with a mortar and pestle.
• Stir paste together with vinegar, fish sauce, water, and lime juice.
• (Alternatively, purée sauce ingredients together in a blender.) Pat scallops dry.
• Thread 4 on each skewer then brush both sides with oil (2 teaspoons total for 4 skewers).
• Season scallops with salt and pepper.
• Brush a 12-inch nonstick skillet with remaining teaspoon oil and heat over high heat until hot but not smoking.
• Sear scallops, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 6 minutes total.
• Serve scallops with sauce spooned over.
• Cooks' note: Sauce may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Bring to room temperature before serving.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PINEAPPLE, GINGER AND LEMON GRASS SALSA

Steps:

• Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the shallot and 1 pinch of salt; cook and stir until the shallot has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir shallot, pineapple, ginger, lemon grass, cilantro, honey, vinegar, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil, and salt to taste, together in a bowl. Set aside.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan, and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover, and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans, recover, and steam until just tender, 2 to 6 minutes depending on thickness. Immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the green beans are cold, drain well, and set aside.
• Heat the safflower oil in a large skillet over high heat. Thoroughly dry each scallop. Once light wisps of smoke are visible in the safflower oil, carefully place the scallops in the skillet. Sear the scallops until golden brown without moving them, about 1 minute. Flip the scallop and cook until desired doneness, about 90 seconds. Turn of the heat and remove scallops from the skillet. Toss green beans into the still-hot skillet for 1 minute. Serve scallops over green beans and top with pineapple salsa.

SWEET-AND-SOUR SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Drain pineapple, reserving juice; set pineapple and juice aside. In a large skillet, saute scallops in oil until firm and opaque; drain. Remove from pan and keep warm. , In the same pan, saute onion and green pepper in butter for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender. , Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, ground mustard and salt. Whisk in the vinegar, soy sauce and reserved pineapple juice until smooth. , Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the tomatoes, scallops and reserved pineapple; heat through.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ASIAN LIME-CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak skewers in water 30 minutes.
• Pound garlic, chile, and sugar to a fine paste with a mortar and pestle. Stir paste together with vinegar, fish sauce, water, and lime juice. (Alternatively, purée sauce ingredients together in a blender.)
• Pat scallops dry. Thread 4 on each skewer (flat sides facing out; see photo), then brush both sides with oil (2 teaspoons total for 4 skewers). Season scallops with salt and pepper.
• Brush a 12-inch nonstick skillet with remaining teaspoon oil and heat over high heat until hot but not smoking. Sear scallops, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 6 minutes total.
• Serve scallops with sauce spooned over.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut 2 tablespoons of the butter into pea-sized pieces, put it on a small plate, and stick it in the freezer. Heat a large skillet over medium-heat high for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the olive oil and wait for the butter to melt.
• Pat the scallops dry with paper towels, add them to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper; work in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the skillet. Cook, turning once, until they are well browned on both sides but not quite cooked through, 2 minutes per side (less if the scallops are under 1 inch across; more if they're over). Transfer the scallops to a plate.
• Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, and wine and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet with a spatula. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the liquid in the skillet thickens, a minute or two, then whisk in the butter you chilled in the freezer, one bit at a time, to make a creamy sauce, adding another tablespoon or two of liquid if necessary.
• Return the scallops to the skillet and add the chives. Adjust the heat so the sauce bubbles gently and toss to coat the scallops with the sauce. To serve, transfer the scallops to a platter and spoon the sauce over all.
• Variation:
• Seared Scallops With Cherry Tomatoes and Basil: Skip the lemon juice. Cut 1 pint cherry tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes with the garlic and wine and cook until they wrinkle a bit and release their juice, 2 or 3 minutes. Use chopped fresh basil leaves instead of chives.
• Cooks' Notes
• Releasing From The Pan: The scallops will offer no resistance when they're ready to turn. Press down gently while the scallops cook to encourage full contact with the pan, then listen for a hiss: That's moisture heating and evaporating.
• Getting A Good Sear: The idea is to brown the scallops well on both sides without overcooking them, so keep the heat as high as you can without creating too much smoke.
• Building Sauce With Butter: After you add the liquid and deglaze the pan, the addition of butter develops fantastic creaminess and richness.
• Finishing The Dish: As soon as the scallops are cooked through completely and coated with the sauce, remove the pan from the heat; they will continue to cook. Nick-and-peek into one if you need to check for doneness.