A simple yet classy dish like this one is to me, the epitome of fine French cooking. What I consider fine French cooking is not complicated, but simple in terms of its quality ingredients and the way they all work together with ease. With a hankering for tender seared scallops, I decided to sear the jumbo scallops and then make a pan sauce using a touch of butter, white wine, sliced garlic and fresh tarragon. The sauce cooks down in the same pan you seared the scallops in, which allows you to use the yummy pan drippings and create a complex and rich simple serving sauce.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Seared Scallops with Tarragon-Garlic Butter
Ingredients:
- 8 jumbo sea scallops, side-muscle removed, patted dry
- salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock or seafood stock
- 1 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
Directions:
- Season both sides of each scallop with a touch of salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil over high heat in a large, non-stick skillet.
- Swirl the oil in the hot pan and ad in the scallops. Sear for 1 minute on each side, or until they are nicely browned. Remove them from the skillet onto a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add in white wine. Stir to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, then add in the sliced garlic and fresh tarragon. Cook for 2 minutes to reduce the wine, then add in the stock and the butter. Cook over low heat for 5 more minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the seared scallops.
Tagged: butter, fresh tarragon, garlic, scallops, seafood, seared scallops, shellfish, tarragon, tarragon-garlic butter, white wine
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