Seared Scallops With Sautéed Fennel

Cook like a chef: how to get that nice brown sear on your scallops.

I have to hand it to the test kitchen here at The New Maturity; they really know how to put flavors together. Full disclosure: When I brag about ‘the test kitchen,’ it really is my husband, Stephen. He is an outstanding cook. He can put together a meal and everything tastes incredible. This is done without recipes or writing things down. Sure, he will spy things on a Food Network show or page through a cook book or magazine for inspiration, but when he gets in the kitchen he has it all figured out. This meal was a result of that mindset. Stephen looked in the fridge, saw what he had to work with, and turned it into a fantastic meal. I want to share it with you because I was so impressed and it was pretty easy, too. I know scallops can be pricey, so feel free to sub in shrimp or another fish. What works great with the scallop fennel combo is they both have such subtle flavor profiles. When paired together, they bring out the best in each other and create an incredible combination. 

INGREDIENTS

• 10 Scallops

• 1 Onion

• 1 Fennel Bulb

• 1 Garlic Clove, finely minced or grated

• 1 Shallot 

• 2 tablespoons of Tomato Paste (the Test Kitchen recommends this)

• 1 Lemon

• White Wine

• Olive Oil 

• Butter

• Salt

• Pepper

• Parsley for garnish

HOW TO 

1. A few hours prior to cooking, remove scallops from packaging. Place scallops on a plate lined with a paper towel. Put plate back in refrigerator so scallops can air dry.  

2. Wash and dry fennel bulb. Chop fennel into long strips. Set aside. Peel and dice onion and shallot. Set aside. In a sauté pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter and a glug of olive oil on medium high heat setting. When pan is shimmering add fennel and cook for 10 minutes until fennel has softened. Add onions and cook for 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Both ingredients should meld together and be nicely browned. Add glug of white wine to deglaze pan. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that have formed in the pan. Once wine has evaporated from the pan, add 2 tbsp of tomato purée and stir. Put pan on a low heat setting.

3. In a non-stick pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter and a glug of olive oil on medium high heat setting. Remove scallops from the refrigerator. Peel scallops off paper towel and place in pan. Be sure not to crowd the scallops since they might give off some additional liquid. Depending on thickness, sear scallops for 6-8 minutes. They are ready to flip when they release easily from the pan and have a nice brown edge. Once flipped, scatter sliced shallots between scallops. Squeeze juice of half a lemon over the pan. Cook scallops an additional 3-5 minutes depending on thickness. 

4. Plate sautéed fennel mixture. Nestle seared scallops next to sauté. Top with chopped parsley. Marvel at the meal you made and serve with pride.   

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PRO TIP

When you cook scallops they can give off lots of water. This makes getting a sear challenging for home cooks like ourselves. To get a nice sear, they need to have some of the moisture removed. Here’s the trick: A few hours prior to cooking take the scallops out of the packaging. Place scallops on a plate lined with a paper towel. Put plate back in refrigerator so scallops can air dry for 3 hours.