My Seared Scallops

I made seared scallops last night (10 June 2024), which I served with a side of broccoli, and a mushroom and spinach risotto.

 
Serves 1
 
Ingredients
 
5 large sea scallops
Salt and pepper
All-purpose flour

2 T  avocado oil
1 T butter
Squeeze of fresh lemon
1 T or so white wine
 
Instructions
 
Pat dry the scallops with a paper towel to remove any excess water.
 
Place the scallops onto a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then lightly coat with the flour.
 
In a skillet on medium-high heat, add the oil and butter. Once hot, add the scallops in one layer (don’t move them until ready to flip over) and cook for 90-120 seconds; flip over and cook for another 90 seconds until they are golden brown.  You don't want to overcook the scallops. the center should be translucent. 
 
Remove the scallops to a serving dish and deglaze the pan with the wine scraping any bits to get all that yummy flavor to make a sauce. Pour over the scallops and squeeze lemon over the top.
 

Service right away with your favorite sides.

Notes:

I made a delicious mushroom risotto with spinach and parmesan to go with the scallops: 

https://sunbasket.com/recipe/mushroom-risotto-with-spinach-and-parmesan

I cut the recipe in half, which still made a lot, so have leftovers. 
 
I added one clove of garlic, chopped, when I added the onions to the pan.
 
I used chicken broth instead of water.
 
I did not add any additional salt and pepper when I added the parmesan cheese at the end (missing in the instructions).
 
What I really liked about this recipe is that it calls for adding all the water (broth) at one time, rather than a traditional risotto recipe where you add the broth a little a time until it's all absorbed. 

Scallops with Pesto Sauce

 

I made a pesto pasta with scallops and vegetables for dinner one night. It was pretty simple to prepare and just something I tossed together.
This is a serving for one.
 
5 scallops (rinse, pat dry, and sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper)
3 large mushrooms, sliced
Red bell pepper, sliced (about 1/5th of a pepper)
1 small clove of garlic, chopped
About 3 T. pesto (I make my own)
Olive oil
2 oz. pasta (I bought the Barilla Thin Spaghetti Protein+ pasta)
 
In a large pot, bring water to a boil with some salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the pasta when ready. It took about 6-7 minutes to cook.
 
Meanwhile, in a large pan, fry the garlic, mushrooms, and bell pepper in olive oil. Move the vegetables to the side of the pan, and add a tablespoon of olive oil and pan fry the scallops. Cook about 4 minutes on each side.
 
Drain the pasta and add the pesto; mix in. Plate the pasta and top with the scallops and vegetables. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves. Eat and enjoy!
 
You can add more vegetables if you'd like. I would have liked more mushrooms because they cooked down quite a bit.