Easy Brown Butter Scallops with Green Garlic

December 14, 2022

I firmly believe that all scallops should be seared and cooked in brown butter. Miss me with your fried scallops. Pass on the grilled scallops. This is the end all be all scallop preparation. With that said, all you REALLY need to make a great plate of brown butter scallops are; scallops, butter, salt and lemon. But you already know I can’t resist being extra with this shit. Cue the green garlic.

Ok so in this recipe, the green garlic’s most significant contribution is in the texture department. While a well seared scallop will develop some texture on its surface, I find the snap from the garlic scapes makes each bite a little more interesting. Also, the combination of using garlic scapes that have been fried in butter along with raw garlic scapes adds a whole other dimension of flavor.

I also went ahead and drizzled some green garlic vinaigrette that I had on hand from a previous recipe (Broccolini with Green Garlic Vinaigrette) and let me tell you, the contrast between the punchy vinegar and toasty brown butter was phenomenal. If you don’t feel like making a vinaigrette from scratch just to drizzle a few tbsp on top of these scallops I don’t really blame you. However, you are sincerely missing out. In any case, a healthy squeeze of lemon juice will do the trick just fine.

Click here for my Green Garlic Pesto Recipe

Brown Butter Scallops with Green Garlic Vinaigrette

Cook Time :5 mins

yields :1 SERVES

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Ingredients

5 sea scallops
1 tbsp homemade green garlic pesto linked above
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup champagne vinegar
1 lemon juice and zest
1 tbsp chopped green garlic
3 tbsp butter
flaky salt to taste

Instructions

For the vinaigrette, place the pesto, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup champagne vinegar, the zest and juice from half a lemon, and a pinch of salt into a mason jar. Shake until well combined. Alternatively you can whisk everything in a bowl or process in a blender or food processor. Taste and adjust as needed. The vinaigrette should be tart, so don't be alarmed.
Prepare your scallops by transferring them to a paper towel lined plate and patting all sides dry. Allow them to come to room temperature for about 10 minutes so that they cook more evenly.
Heat a cast iron or non stick skillet over high heat. Allow the pan to preheat for about 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of butter and a splash of olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat the pan. Transfer your scallops to the hot pan, largest side down (this will be your presentation side with the best sear, so always choose the largest/prettiest side of each scallop to cook first). Sear for 1-2 minutes undisturbed and flip once you see the edges start to brown. Add a pinch of salt, 2 more tbsp of butter and baste your scallops for another 30-60 seconds.
Scallops cook fast and will be done in under 5 minutes. If you don't achieve a good sear on either side, don't stress! They will still be delicious. The last thing you want to do is compromise the cook on the scallops by keeping them in the pan for longer just to get more browning.
Remove the scallops from the pan and transfer to your serving plate. Put the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add 1 tbsp of chopped green garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice. Cook the green garlic while scraping the pan to remove any brown bits for 30 seconds. Pour the hot butter mixture over your scallops. Top each scallop with a drizzle of vinaigrette, flaky salt, some lemon zest, and more chopped green garlic.