Seared Scallops over Mache Fennel and Orange Salad
Serves 2
For the salad:
4 cups mache, frisee, or your favorite green
1/2 cup shaved fennel
1/4 cup shaved red onion
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice or orange champagne vinegar such as Trader Joe’s
1 tbsp good olive oil
Arrange greens, fennel and red onion on 2 plates, and season with S&P, orange juice and oil
For the scallops:
8 wild caught dry* sea scallops
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon butter or good coconut oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Remove the small muscle that runs along the side of the scallop, rinse and pat dry.
Add salt and pepper. Gently add to hot pan, giving them plenty of real estate, and sear 1-1/2 minutes per side. They should have a golden crust on the outside, and be translucent inside. Arrange over salad and serve.
*Sea scallops are often soaked in a phosphate solution to whiten the scallops. They absorb this liquid chemical, so you are paying for water weight vs. scallop weight. The phosphate liquid is released in the pan while cooking, and you will wind up with steamed, not seared scallops. If not labeled, ask your fish monger if the scallops are “dry.” If you cook your scallops and notice a soapy liquid in the pan, and the scallops shrink significantly, you have just paid $20+ per pound for phosphate and water saturated scallops.
