I’ve always shied away from cooking scallops. The delicate morsels intimidated me because I thought they were hard to prepare and easily overdone. This recipe disproves that and demonstrates that they are in fact, quick and easy to make, my two favorite words in a recipe description!
There are two types of these sweet crustaceans that we use as a food source. Both types are harvested in late fall and winter, meaning we are in prime season for the best tasting scallops right now. The bigger Atlantic sea scallop is meaty and earthy. They are harvested from the wild in shallow, open ocean waters from the Canadian border to the mid-Atlantic. The bay scallop is smaller, sweeter, rarer, and more expensive. They are found in estuaries and bays from New Jersey to Florida. Of course, both can be bought frozen and enjoyed throughout the year. If you can’t buy them in season and right off the boat, ones that are flash frozen as soon as they are harvested retain their wonderful buttery flavor just as well!
Sea Scallops in Chipotle-Orange Sauce
Sea Scallops with Chipotle-Orange Sauce (adapted from tasteofhome.com) Total Time Required: 15 minutes, Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 3/4 pound sea scallops
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion, for garnish
- cooked pasta, polenta, or rice for serving
Directions:
Sprinkle the scallops with paprika and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
Season the scallops.
In a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the scallops and cook for 3 – 4 minutes on each side or until they are firm and opaque.
Gently cook the scallops . . .
. . . until they are caramelized on both sides.
Add the orange juice and remaining salt to the pan. Bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chipotle pepper.
Add the orange juice to the pan.
Serve the scallops & sauce with pasta, polenta or rice.
Plate the scallops.
Garnish the plates with green onions.
Sprinkle the green onions over the scallops & sauce & serve with polenta, pasta or rice.
Scallops are considered the Jewels of the Sea! ~Linda
Sea Scallops with Chipotle-Orange Sauce (adapted from tasteofhome.com) Total Time Required: 15 minutes, Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 3/4 pound sea scallops
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion, for garnish
- cooked pasta, polenta, or rice for serving
Directions:
Sprinkle the scallops with paprika and 1/8 teaspoon salt. In a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the scallops and cook for 3 – 4 minutes on each side or until they are firm and opaque.
Add the orange juice and remaining salt to the pan. Bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chipotle pepper.
Serve the scallops & sauce with pasta, polenta or rice. Garnish the plates with green onions.