Chef Mark Mattern, MBA, CEC

       

       

Pan Seared Scallops in a Lemon Cream Sauce: Mark Mattern, MBA, CEC Serves 4-6 • 3 pounds large scallops, dried • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, divided • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided • 1 each lemon, juiced • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine • 1/4 cup sliced shallots • 2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed • 2 cups heavy whipping cream • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric Preparation Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (yellow part only) from lemon in long strips. Or use a micro zester to remove only the yellow portion of the lemon. Squeeze 1 1/2 tablespoons juice from lemon. Combine wine, shallots, garlic, and lemon peel in heavy small saucepan. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Add cream and turmeric and boil until mixture thickens and is reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 13 minutes. Pour mixture through fine strainer; discard solids in strainer. Return sauce to pan. Whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Sauce can be made 1 da

Tips for cooking Scallops Dry scallops are essential — At the store, ask for dry sea scallops, which means that they haven’t been soaked in a sodium solution. The solution whitens and plumps the scallops, but when you cook them, all that liquid leaches out, making it impossible to achieve a good sear. Get the pan and cooking fat hot — Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat for a minute or so; then add the fat and let it heat up. If you’re using oil, it’s ready when a drop of liquid sizzles as it hits the hot oil. If you’re using oil and butter, wait until the butter stops foaming. Don’t crowd the pan — There should be enough room between the scallops so that they sizzle rather than steam—that’s the only way you’ll get a good crust. If your pan isn’t big enough to hold the scallops without crowding, sear them in batches. Scallops only need a few minutes per side to get nicely browned. They’re done when they feel barely firm to the touch, and when you cut into one, it should be faintl