Scallops with Asparagus

This is a perfect spring dish. It’s light, it’s green, it’s got sweet cream butter, which is yellow like the sunshine. It’s only got a few ingredients and it’s fast and easy to prepare, leaving you with more time to enjoy the extra sunlight. And the best part, it tastes terrific!

I think the last scallop dish I prepared was so good, that I had to find more I could do with scallops. When they are fresh, they are sweet and perfect little mouthfuls.

My first stop on the Internet in my scallop recipe search was Epicurious (www.epicurious.com). And that was my only stop. In fact, I now have a backup of scallop recipes I want to try.

This recipe, in particular, caught my eye. It’s a good contrast to the last scallop recipe I tried which had a sauce base of crème fraîche. And the asparagus is an early spring vegetable, which is perfect today, the first whole day of spring.

A lot of the changes that I made to the recipe came from the suggestions of the people who had already tried the recipe and wrote their comments on Epicurious (one of the reasons that I love that Website).

I eased up a bit on the amount of oil, and cut back a good deal on the original ½ stick of butter that was called for. I also used slightly less wine, but if I were to make it again, I would probably use the entire 1/3 cup. I don’t know why I stopped at a ¼ cup. Well, maybe it’s because I love vinegar, and with slightly less wine, there would be a slight bit more vinegar in proportion. Oh, and I doubled the sauce to scallop ratio. I like having extra sauce (which was described as a form of beurre blanc).



Scallops With Asparagus
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine


1 lb medium asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb large sea scallops (tough ligaments removed from their side, if attached)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1-2 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

Trim asparagus, then cut stems into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices, leaving tips whole.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté asparagus, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a plate, reserving skillet off heat (do not clean).

Pat scallops dry and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté the scallops, turning over once, until browned and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer scallops with tongs to another plate and cover it to keep it warm.

Carefully add wine and vinegar to skillet (mixture may spatter) and boil, scraping up brown bits, until liquid is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Add any scallop juices accumulated on plate and bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated.

Enjoy!