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Quick Fish

Seared Scallops with Golden Shallot & Grapefruit Sauce

by Leslie Pendleton
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Purchase scallops that are “dry,” or unprocessed. Processed scallops are soaked in a solution that makes them retain water, which is released when they’re seared, making it harder to brown the scallops.Serves four.

1/2 cup finely diced shallots (2 to 3 large)
8 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh pink or Ruby Red grapefruit juice
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-3/4 lb. medium all-natural “dry” sea scallops
1 Tbs. thinly sliced chives (optional)
Tip: Frozen processed scallops will have sodium tripolyphosphate listed in the ingredients; all-natural dry scallops will have no additional ingredients.

In a 10-inch skillet, cook the shallots in 6 Tbs. of the oil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the shallots are golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the grapefruit juice and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Pull off and discard any muscle tabs still attached to the sides of the scallops. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels and season them lightly with salt and pepper.

In a 12-inch heavy-duty nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat. Add the scallops (in batches if necessary to keep from crowding them), cover with a splatter screen if you have one, and cook until they are golden brown on both sides and almost firm to the touch, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

Add the shallot sauce to the scallops and cook briefly, shaking the pan, until the sauce is just heated through. Serve immediately, sprinkled with the chives, if using.

Serving Suggestions

A side dish that soaks up the sauce is perfect for this dish—try rice pilaf studded with toasted nuts.
photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 90, pp. 86a
December 4, 2007

user reviews

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by pcouper, 11/15/2008The scallops & sauce tasted great and the scallops seared perfectly. I used champagne vinegar in place of white wine vinegar and it was a good complement to the flavor of the sauce. The sauce itself contained a little too much oil and needed to be reduced somewhat as it was a little thin.
by khushi610, 10/13/2008I would sear the scallops first and then use the same pan to make the sauce after, just so I can incorporate the flavourful "sucs" or "frond" as it is more commonly called in America into the sauce that will give it an additional layer of richness.
by jng000, 2/26/2008I served this with sauteed spinach and rice pilaf and it was good as eating at a restaurant.
by DundasSt, 12/13/2007Delicious and very quick to prepare. The sauce was especially flavourful. We served it with wild rice and salad without dressing but the sauce was a wonderful complement to the salad. The tip about dry scallops was particularly helpful. Thank You.