Crusted Scallops in a Tomato & White Wine Sauce
If only I knew then what I know now, I would have eaten 10X as many scallops as I did in my life.
I’ve always been terrified of cooking scallops because of a massive failure once that took me out of the game. Long story short, I was trying to show my cooking skills off at family’s house and i whipped out some baby scallops and ended up stewing them into inedible pieces of rubbery flesh. The family was unimpressed and i was pretty embarrassed. But oh, how those days have gone! I am a pro now. I learned a few tricks that i want to share with you guys so that you, too, can eat delicious, succulent, juicy and well cooked scallops.
When buying scallops, purchase the right type. Large scallops of searing and serving with a sauce or on their own, small baby scallops for a pasta sauce.
Purchase scallops fresh. You’ll taste the difference.
Always dry your scallops off with a paper towel before placing them in a skillet. The moisture on the scallops will prevent any searing or crusting from happening.
Use a really hot pan to sear the scallops. I like using a cast iron skillet for this but any pan that you can get really hot will work.
Butter & a hot pan work magic for searing scallops
Don’t overcrowd the pan when searing the scallops. Only a few at a time. if you overcrowd the pan, you’ll steam them and that’s a big fat no-no.
As soon as the scallops have been seared on each side, which should take no more than a minute on each side, remove from the pan, put in your next batch of scallops to sear.
Always sear your scallops first, and then “cook” them in your sauce afterwards. I use quotation marks around the word “cook” because you don’t want to really COOK them again, just let them soak up some of the sauce.
For this particular recipe, we use a single pan. We’re going to sear the scallops first, remove them from the pan and set aside in a plate and use the same pan we seared the scallops in to make the sauce. The bits of delicious crust that forms on the bottom of the pan after searing the scallops are the perfect base for our sauce so don’t discard it!
This recipe is incredibly delicious and can honestly be served with whatever carb (or lack thereof) that you prefer. I usually serve with fluffy jasmine rice or crusty bread to sop up all of that incredible sauce but feel free to sub in some pasta, potatoes, quinoa, etc, whatever you like!
Give this recipe a try! Share your comments and some love. If you make this recipe and share it on social media, tag it with the hashtag #hungrilyhomemaderecipe
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2-4 adult servings
Ingredients:
1. 2 lbs large scallops
2. 4 tbsp butter
3. 1 cup white wine
4. 1/2 cup tomato sauce
5. 1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and dried
6. Salt & black pepper to taste
Method:
1. Heat a large skillet on the stove over high heat. Add your butter and allow to heat well before adding your cleaned and dried scallops in. Place your scallops evenly spaced out in batches (depending on the size of your skillet) and sear on each side for 1-2 minutes. Once your scallops develop a crust, flip them over and allow the following side to sear.
2. Once your scallops have formed a crust on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside in a plate.
3. In the same pan you seared your scallops (do not clean or remove the butter or scraps), add your white wine and deglaze the pan on medium heat. Once the wine has cooked for a minute, add your tomato sauce and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. This will cook the alcohol out of the sauce and will mellow any wine flavor that appears too strong.
4. Season with salt & black pepper once you’ve simmered the sauce and lower the temperature to medium-low. Add your spinach to the sauce and let wilt for a few minutes.
5. Once your spinach has wilted, return your scallops to the skillet with the sauce and let simmer for 1 more minute to reheat the scallops. Turn the heat off and serve immediately.
