Horseradish Scallops

Three in one: Scallops. Pan Fried, Blackened. Horseradish in two of the three.

Pan-Fried Scallops with Horseradish Cream and Winter Greens

You can use any winter greens for this salad. Try white dandelion, ruby chard, and mizuna; a little chervil thrown in is also rather good. The simple horseradish cream has a delicate balance that does not overpower the sweet scallops.

Ingredients

For the horseradish cream

• Generous 3/4 cup crème fraîche
• 1 Tbs. freshly grated horseradish root
• 1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• sea salt

For the scallops

• 24 sea scallops, cleaned
• handful of arugula leaves
• handful of white dandelion leaves or pale frisée
• handful of mizuna
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

For serving

• minced curly parsley
• lemon wedges

Preparation

To make the horseradish cream:

• Put the crème fraîche in a bowl and fold in the horseradish and mustard. Season with salt to taste.

To cook the scallops

• Trim away the tough muscle from the side of each scallop, then set aside at room temperature. Wash the salad greens, dry well, and combine in a bowl. Dress with the lemon zest and juice and the extra virgin olive oil, then divide among four plates or arrange on a large platter.Place two heavy (ideally, nonstick) skillets over high heat and allow them to get very hot. Season the scallops lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle 1/2 Tbs. olive oil into each skillet.When the oil begins to smoke, add the scallops, arranging them in a single layer. It is important not to overcrowd the skillet (if you do, the scallops will stew rather than pan-fry), so cook in two batches if necessary. Cook for 1 minute only, then turn (in the same order that you put them into the pan) and cook for the same amount of time on the other side. The scallops should be crunchy and golden on the surface, with a sweet and delicious taste.As you remove the scallops from the pan, place them on top of the salad greens, adding a dollop of horseradish cream. Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve straight away, with a wedge or two of lemon on the side.

Another one to try, a deviation, with Bacon

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• 5 slices bacon 
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 ¼ teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 pound sea scallops
• 2 tablespoons horseradish sauce

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• 5 slices bacon 
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 ¼ teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 pound sea scallops
• 2 tablespoons horseradish sauce

• Step 1 Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving about 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings. Crumble the bacon once cool to the touch.
• Step 2 Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source.
• Step 3 Heat the reserved bacon drippings in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir the butter and garlic salt into the bacon drippings; allow the butter to melt completely. Cook the scallops in the butter mixture until there is a light brown coating on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the scallops to a baking dish. Spoon the butter sauce over the scallops. Drizzle the horseradish sauce over the scallops and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon.
• Step 4 Bake the scallops under the preheated broiler until the sauce begins to bubble, about 1 minute.

BLACKENED SCALLOPS WITH HORSERADISH SAUCE

These quick seared Blackened Sea Scallops are coated in a homemade blend of blackened seasoning, then cooked in a cast iron skillet served with a creamy horseradish sauce.

Blackened scallops is usually my go-to, which I love so much I wanted to recreate them at home (they are so easy to make yourself!). The sauce cools the heat from the blackened seasoning, but you can of course reduce the cayenne if you prefer to make them mild.

• Make sure the scallops are at room temperature before adding the melted butter.
• To begin you’ll need a cast iron skillet. This recipe starts on the stove then finishes in the oven. In order to get a good sear, your skillet needs to be very hot.
• Be sure to dry the scallops well before cooking. You can blot with paper towels.
• If you like your food spicy, increase the cayenne pepper to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon.
• Once the pan is hot, sear them without moving at least 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Cook until the center is slightly translucent, careful not to overcook.
• You may want to open your windows, you kitchen will get smokey.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
• 1- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoons butter*
• 16 large sea scallops, 20 ounces room temperature
• Horseradish Cream
• 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream*
• 1  tablespoon  prepared grated horseradish
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• In a small bowl combine the horseradish cream ingredients and set aside.
• In another small bowl, add the paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt, black pepper and mix to blend. Coat the scallops on all sides with the spices.
• Heat a large heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat, and melt the butter.
• When very hot add the scallops and saute 1 minutes on each side.
• Transfer to the oven to finish cooking 4 to 5 minutes, or until the scallops are just cooked through and just opaque in the middle. (warning, you may want to open your windows, you kitchen will get smokey.) Serve with sauce.