Seared Sea Scallops On Sautéed Spinach With Hoisin Butter Sauce

The key to restaurant-quality scallops at home is dry-dry-dry and screaming-hot pan. Pat the sea scallops absolutely dry, season, and drop into a ripping nonstick skillet with a mix of butter and peanut oil (butter for flavor, peanut oil for the high smoke point). Two minutes per side builds that deep caramelized crust without overcooking the inside.

Underneath goes a pile of ginger-garlic-chile-laced spinach wilted down from a full four bags. Twenty ounces of raw leaves collapses to about a pound of savory greens, and the aromatics perfume every bite. The serrano chile splits between the spinach and the sauce so the heat threads through the plate.

The pan sauce is genius. Hoisin, rice vinegar, hot sesame oil, mirin, and more butter whisk together into a glossy, sweet-salty glaze built right in the skillet that seared the scallops. Drizzle over both scallops and spinach.

Chef Tips

• Pat the scallops completely dry with paper towels before searing. Wet scallops steam instead of caramelize. This is the single most important step.
• Remove the small side muscle (the tough little flap) before cooking. It stays chewy otherwise and ruins the delicate bite.
• Don’t crowd the pan. Give each scallop space so it sears instead of steams. Cook in two batches if needed.
• Don’t boil the sauce after adding the final butter. Low heat keeps the emulsion silky. High heat breaks it.

Variations

• Use shrimp in place of scallops for a quicker, more budget-friendly version.
• Swap spinach for baby bok choy or Swiss chard.
• Add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds or sliced almonds over the top for crunch.