Seared Scallops with White Bean Purée and Salsa Verde
Scallops seared hard in a ripping pan over a garlicky bean purée, finished with a sharp herb sauce — fifteen minutes that looks like more.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Written
Method
-
Pat the scallops fully dry with paper towels and season with salt; a dry surface is what lets them sear instead of steam.
-
Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat until the garlic turns golden, about 2 minutes.
-
Add the beans and stock, and simmer 5 minutes until the beans are heated through.
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Purée the beans until smooth, season with salt, and keep warm.
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Stir together the parsley, capers, anchovy, lemon zest and juice, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and red pepper flakes for the salsa verde.
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Heat the butter in a heavy skillet over high heat until it foams and just starts to smell nutty.
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Lay the scallops in the pan without crowding and sear undisturbed until a deep golden crust forms, about 2 minutes.
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Flip and cook 1 more minute, until opaque and just firm to the touch.
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Spoon the bean purée onto plates, top with scallops, and finish with the salsa verde.
Notes
The crust is the whole point, and crowding the pan is what kills it — give each scallop its own patch of hot butter, or they’ll steam and go gray instead of browning. Great northern or butter beans work as well as cannellini if that’s what’s in the pantry.
Shrimp is the easy substitute if scallops aren’t at the fish counter — same sear, about a minute less per side.