Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Scallops Provencal with Herbed Couscous and Mushrooms

I love watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network, but never made one of the recipes I saw on her show until today. I have been wanting to make this scallop dish for a while, and since I am now taking the city bus to work (blah) which takes me right by Eastern Market, I figured today would be a good day to try it out. It turned out SOOOOOOOOOO yummy. In addition to the scallops, she made an herbed basmati rice. Instead, I made a box of pinenut couscous (takes about 8 minutes), and added some dill and scallions. After making the scallops, I used the pan to quickly cook up some baby bella mushrooms and spinach for a side dish. All said and done, this took me about 25 minutes. Definitely a keeper!


Ingredients
1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops (I used sea scallops)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in 1/2

Directions
If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.


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