When we moved to Prospect-Lefferts Gardens a few months ago, we were pleasantly surprised to learn about Parkside Greenmarket, a small but high-quality farmer's market by the Parkside Q stop. American Seafood, a small stand selling wild-caught fish and shellfish from Suffolk County, NY, has an excellent variety of seafood (blowfish tails, anyone?), but we always buy at least a few sea scallops for a Sunday-evening treat.
There's not much to say about the cooking method. Sear the scallops on one side, add some butter, flip, baste, and pull them while they're still medium-rare. Don't futz around with the seasoning. Lemon, fresh herbs, a little pepper, and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Pan-Seared Scallops with Cilantro Lemon Butter Sauce
Cooking Time
5 minutes
Serves
2 deep sea divers
Tools
Chef's knife and cutting board
Nonstick skillet (link NSFW though highly relevant)
Offset spatula
Metal spoon
1 tablespoon canola oil
10–12 oz. sea scallops
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
Large handful cilantro (stems and leaves), thinly sliced (reserve a few whole leaves for garnish)
Black pepper
Steps
1. Season scallops on both sides with salt. Heat oil in skillet over high heat. When oil starts to smoke, add scallops in a single layer. Sear until first side has formed a golden-brown crust, about 2 minutes.
2. Drain off excess oil from pan (a great method is to tilt the pan so the oil pools in one spot, and then sop it up with a wadded-up paper towel held in a pair of tongs). Add butter and reduce heat to medium. Flip scallops with offset spatula, tilt pan, and baste scallops until butter begins to turn brown and nutty, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Season with pepper and serve immediately.
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