Seared Scallops with Braised Red Cabbage
Dear In Good Taste Catering By Stacey Blog Readers,
Are you ready to get a little more serious with some of the recipes? Good, because today we’re taking it up a notch!
Scallops are one of my favorite proteins, but they can be a little scary if you’ve never cooked them before. I can’t tell you how many times I have ordered scallops at fantastic restaurants only to be disappointed that they are over cooked. Scallops are actually ok to undercook slightly (they are served raw in sushi all the time), but over cooking them is a true crime. We’ll talk more about that in the cooking instructions though.
Scallops need to be treated with care and they certainly have a mellow, almost creamy, taste when cooked properly. In this recipe I combine the scallops with Braised Red Cabbage that not only adds a delicious acidic element to the scallops, but also a very pleasing pop of color.
Enjoy!
Prep Time: 15-20 Minutes
Ingredients:
1 ½ # large Scallops
Salt
Pepper
1 small red Cabbage Julienne
½ cup raspberry Vinegar
2 tsp Sugar
1 med Onions Julienne
4 tsp olive oil
Cooking Instructions:
Scallops:
There is no need to get super crazy with the scallops. We’re doing a simple, pan seared preparation. The important thing to remember is to make sure that you pat the scallops with paper towels to remove as much water and moisture as possible (if you don’t, when you drop them in the oil you’re going to be in a lot of trouble and could get very burned as the oil splashes and splutters all over the place)!
Once they are dry, season them with salt and pepper to taste. I don’t recommend too much of either.
Heat 2 tsp’s of olive oil in a medium non-stick pan on medium heat. Gently place the scallops in the heated oil and cook until a golden brown on each side. This should take 2-3 minutes on each side.
DO NOT overcook the scallops. They are good when they are slightly translucent inside. If you don’t want to cut one open to look, that’s fine. They should be slightly firm, but they should still give a little if you press on them. If they are very firm, you’ve gone too far and they will have a rubbery consistency.
Remember, it’s better to slightly undercook them than to overcook them.
Take the scallops and place them to the side and put tinfoil over them to keep them warm.
Braised Red Cabbage:
Put 1 tsp of olive oil in a medium non-stick pan and place it on a medium heat.
Take your julienned onions and place them in the pan once the oil has heated. Sautee them until they are translucent (you’ll get that great onions-being-cooked smell!). This takes about 4-5 minutes.
Add the julienned cabbage, sugar, raspberry vinegar, salt and pepper to the pan. Cook until the cabbage wilts down and becomes soft.
Place the cabbage on a plate (no need to strain it), and then gently place the scallops on top of the cabbage.
Done! As always, let me know how it goes!