Description
You are going to love this Pan-Seared Scallops in a Cayenne Corn Purée recipe! This seafood dish showcases the delicate sweetness of succulent scallops with a fiery kick from cayenne pepper, all atop a velvety bed of creamy corn purée. With its perfect balance of textures and tastes, this scallop recipe is sure to become your new favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12, U10-12 dry-packed scallops
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
FOR THE CAYENNE CORN PURÉE:
- 4 cobs of fresh corn, with kernels removed (see notes for substitutions)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons crisp bacon pieces, optional
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a pot, add the corn, butter, heavy whipping cream, salt and cayenne pepper.
- Bring to a boil and boil hard for about 5 minutes.
- While the corn mixture is boiling, prep the scallops by removing the foot (the muscle on the side of the scallop).
- Pat the scallops dry. Season on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the butter in the pan to a medium/medium-high.
- Turn down the heat on the corn as you are searing the scallops.
- Place half of the scallops and do not touch until ready to flip. This should take 2-3 minutes.
- Flip and sear the other side for just a minute.
- Reserve onto a plate as you finish searing the remaining scallops.
- Once all of the scallops have been seared, blend the corn mixture with an immersion blender until creamy.
- Optionally, pass the purée through a mesh strainer for a smoother purée (I do not do this, I rather like the bits of corn floating in the purée).
- Spoon the corn purée onto a plate and top each plate with 3 seared scallops (assuming you are serving four people).
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and crisp bacon pieces (optional)
- ENJOY!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Dinner
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: Seafood