Spanish Scallops with Romesco Sauce
These large sea scallops are pan seared to a golden brown and basted with a garlic-thyme butter. They are rich, with an ultra-creamy, tender center and are well complimented when served on a swath of smooth romesco sauce.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 16 large sea scallops U-10 dry *see notes
- Salt
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 garlic clove grated or finely minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon avocado or canola oil
- ¾ cup Spanish romesco sauce store-bought or homemade
- Fresh thyme leaves and lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- For frozen scallops, remove them from the package and place them, in one layer, on a wire rack set over a plate or baking sheet, cover with a sheet of parchment paper and transfer to the refrigerator to thaw. When ready to cook, proceed as follows:
- For fresh or thawed scallops, place scallops on a large plate that has been lined with a double layer of paper towels. Salt liberally and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Using more paper towels, pat the scallops on all sides as dry as possible. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and set aside while preparing the griddle and butter.
- Add the butter to a small dish and melt in the microwave. Remove and add the grated garlic and fresh thyme leaves. Reserve and keep warm.
- Heat the oil in a cast iron griddle, fry pan or a heavy-bottomed skillet set over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Working in batches, add some of the scallops spacing them an inch or so apart, cook for 1-½ minutes to a rich brown. Turn the scallops with tongs and cook the other side for 1 minute. Just before removing the scallops from the pan, spoon the melted garlic-thyme butter over the top. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with the remaining scallops.
- To serve, add a 2 tablespoon pool of the romesco sauce to a dinner plate, place 4 scallops on the sauce and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs and lemon wedges.
Notes
- In scallop world, scallops that are sized U-10 means that fewer than 10 scallops add up to 1 pound. Each scallop will weigh about 2 ounces each.
- If you are using smaller size scallops, adjust the cooking time to 1 minute per side.
Nutrition
Serving: 4scallops | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 662mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g
