Sauteed Scallops on Red Pepper Sauce
Submitted by lisaann
Sauteed scallops over red pepper yogurt sauce deliver a light, elegant dinner in 30 minutes. Seared sea scallops deglazed with vermouth and lemon, plated on a cool coriander-spiked sauce.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minSauteed scallops on red pepper sauce is the kind of dinner-party dish that looks like restaurant work but comes together in 30 minutes with one pan. Sea scallops get a hard, fast sear. The red pepper sauce stays cool and uncooked underneath. The contrast of hot protein and cool sauce is what makes the plate sing.
The sauce is pureed raw red bell pepper, garlic, yogurt, cilantro, and olive oil. No cooking, no reducing. That keeps the pepper bright and sweet rather than muddy, and the yogurt adds tang that cuts the richness of the butter-seared scallops.
Searing scallops is simple, but the rules are strict. Pat them bone-dry with paper towels (wet scallops steam instead of brown), heat the pan until very hot, and resist the urge to poke them. A quick two to three minutes total, turning often, is all they need.
Deglazing with vermouth creates an instant pan glaze. The alcohol burns off fast, leaving behind the herbal notes. A squeeze of lemon finishes and brightens. Spoon the scallops onto the red pepper sauce and scatter more cilantro leaves on top.
Serve immediately. Scallops cool fast and get rubbery once they lose heat.
Chef Tips
- Dry-pack scallops (the kind without added moisture/phosphates) sear properly; wet-pack scallops steam no matter what you do. Ask your fishmonger.
- Remove the tough side muscle on each scallop before cooking. It’s a small rectangular tab on the side that turns chewy if left on.
- Let the scallops come up to room temperature for 10 minutes before cooking. Cold scallops shock the pan and drop the temperature.
- Only turn the scallops once or twice. Too much moving around prevents the sear.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Place the garlic, pepper and tablespoon of yogurt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and purée until smooth.
Scrape the mixture into a small bowl and stir in the remaining yogurt, coriander and black pepper.
Whisk in the olive oil, then spoon the sauce onto plates, spreading it out with the back of a spoon.
For the scallops, spray a medium-sized skillet with the non-stick coating.
Add the olive oil, and heat until hot but not smoking.
Add the scallops and quickly sauté them over high heat until just cooked through, turning often, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the vermouth and let it almost evaporate, then add the lemon juice.
Cooking a few seconds longer so the scallops are glazed.
Spoon them onto the plates with the sauce.
Sprinkle a few coriander leaves on top and serve at once.
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