This elegant, healthy meal is one you can make for an easy weeknight (or date night) dinner for two, or an impressive meal to serve to company, or simply make it for yourself (because you deserve it!)
This recipe has a little pandemic story behind it … I went to Aldi to get groceries. Mask donned, I head into the store and find it not terribly crowded. I gather the few things I need and then over to the milk aisle to get my favorite coconut milk. And then I saw it. The line was backed up and was circling back in front of the frozen food section. Oh dear, I better get in line and since I’d already grabbed everything on my list, I did hop in line, keeping the appropriate distance from the person in front of me. But now I’m standing here in the frozen section, gazing at all the interesting products I don’t normally notice and suddenly I spot some lovely BIG scallops! I’ve bought their bay scallops before and loved them, but these babies were NOT the tiny little bay scallops, they were the big, beautiful scallops you get when you order scallops at a restaurant. I couldn’t resist … I tossed a package into my cart.
and then I got home and wondered … hmmm, what should I do with this beauties?
What to do with scallops?
I searched the interwebs for scallop recipes and literally EVERYTHING at the top of the search results was pan seared scallops. Hmmm, this is something I have not yet tried, but it looks delicious and sounds delightful, plus it’s super quick. I got to thinking then about what ELSE to go with the scallops? The multitudes of butternut squash started screaming at me “Yo, hey, you better get going on your squash or we’re just going to go rotten on you!” … and yeah, they had a good point. Okay then, butternut squash, I’m on it … and I have some cauliflower in the fridge, so how about a bed of cauliflower polenta? Yeah, that sounds good. What to use to counterpoint the squash? Something with a bit more color … peas. Yes, simple, frozen sweet peas. My plan was coming together.
Making the meal
So I started roasting some butternut squash and once I had that in the oven, I started steaming the cauliflower. Before the squash was even done, I had blended up my cauliflower polenta. Yum Yum .. It was nearing time to eat … time to get the scallops going! They were super quick to make once the pan heated up. Honestly, I didn’t like the way they smoked while they were cooking (even with avocado oil, that has a super high smoke point) BUT in the end, after I settled on avocado oil, I did seriously love the taste. The scallops were nice and juicy and just perfectly done, with a beautiful browned edge and that lovely sweet, briny taste that I just love. It gets a little busy to pull it all together and you do need to really pay attention to the scallops in the end game, but it’s really not hard at all to achieve scallop nirvana.
And yes, you can make this happen in 30 minutes. My recipe is for two servings, but adjust accordingly, allowing yourself time and space to take care of each little scallop.
The briny scallops on top are the star of the meal, but the sweet herb-roasted butternut squash and sweet peas are just the perfect accompaniment … and they balance each other out SO well! … then the cauliflower polenta acts like a comforting bed of creamy goodness that just makes it all so much better. I think you’re going to LOVE this dish, even if you use frozen sea scallops like I did. Just make sure you pat them dry before searing them in the pan.
Are scallops healthy?
With 80% protein and low fat content plus a great source of antioxidants, scallops are considered one of the healthiest seafoods. Aside from protein, scallops are a good source of phosphorus, iron, potassium, selenium, vitamin B 12 and omega 3 fatty acids, making them a great choice if you’re trying to reduce your cholesterol.
Print
Seared Scallops with Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Peas over Cauliflower Polenta
Ingredients
- Roasted butternut squash (recipe here)
- Cauliflower polenta (recipe here)
- 1/2 Tablespoon avocado oil per serving
- About 8 large dry sea scallops
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- About 2/3 cup frozen sweet peas
- Marinated feta (recipe here) or crumbled feta
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and begin roasting the butternut squash.
- While the butternut squash is roasting, steam the cauliflower for the polenta and grate the cheese. When the cauliflower is fall-apart tender, blend together with the rest of the cauliflower polenta ingredients and set aside.
- Heat a small frying pan over high heat. While it’s heating, set the scallops on a paper towel and pat the tops to make sure both sides are dry. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
- Set 4 of the scallops in the hot oiled pan. Let cook for 1 – 2 minutes or until browned on bottom, then flip and let cook for 1 – 2 minutes on the other side, just until browned and the middles look nicely opaque. Remove the cooked scallops to a clean paper towel, then repeat with the other 4 scallops.
- Meanwhile, heat the frozen peas in the microwave for 1 -3 minutes, until nicely warmed. Let rest in the microwave until the scallops are done.
- On two plates, make a bed of cauliflower polenta, then top each plate with a good sprinkling of roasted butternut squash and peas, then add the scallops and sprinkle with feta. Enjoy!
Notes
© Copyright 2021, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. I love it when you share, but please do not use my images on your own site/page without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. Sharing, pinning, and tweeting is always appreciated as long as the shares and pins link back to here for the recipe. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
1 comment
I’m a scallop lover and love all the beautiful flavors and colors in this recipe! These photos have me salivating just contemplating those delicious buttery scallops!