Oh my goodness, does the Southern husband love scallops.
Big scallops, little scallops, scallops cooked with maple syrup sauce, scallops with breadcrumb sauce – the guy has never met a scallop dish he doesn’t love with a purple passion.
And since I love him with a purple passion, I always try and fix up scallops on a regular basis. This time I went with some seared sea scallops finished with a buttery apple and walnut sauce, just to give it a little bit of a cozy autumn feel.
Also because I might have picked a whole lotta apples during an apple picking outing.
Ingredients you need
here’s how to make the very best scallops!
STEP 1: Cook a cup of rice according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
STEP 2: While the rice is cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add a pound of sea scallops and cook for three minutes without moving them (this gives them the nice little brown crispy sear we want). Turn them over with tongs and cook for another three minutes. Remove from skillet, transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
STEP 4: Turn heat down to medium high and add a peeled and chopped shallot. Cook until tender, about 1-2 minutes.
STEP 5: Add the 2/3 cup of white wine white and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and whisk in 5 tablespoons of chopped cold butter until melted.
STEP 6: Return the scallops to the pan along with the one apple that you have cut into matchsticks or little cubes apple and a half cup of chopped walnuts. Stir for a minute or so until everything is covered with sauce and heated.
STEP 7: Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve right away on warm plates.
I was super proud of myself for remembering to take this picture on my plate that has little fishies all around the edge. Hey, it’s the little things!
More Tips for Making this Easy Seafood Recipe!
Scallops come in two versions: wet scallops and dry scallops, and we always want to try for dry. Dry scallops are freshly caught scallops that aren’t treated with any outside ingredients.
Wet scallops have been treated with a preservative that theoretically has them last longer, but can add a kind of chemical taste. Most scallops today are sold dry, but it never hurts to check!
Bay scallops are the teeny cousins of sea scallops – they have the same taste and texture, but are much smaller in size.
So the answer is yes, but with bay scallops you want to cook them for just a couple of minutes total so they don’t get too dry and chewy. Don’t try for the sear – they won’t cooperate – just stir them around for a few minutes until they are just cooked.
I think the firmer apples (like Granny Smiths) hold up the best, but honestly any kind of apple is going to be just fine, so use your favorite!
Drop it in the Comments section and I promise to answer pronto!
I served mine over rice, but you could spoon it over pasta or polenta and it would be just as heavenly. Easy, healthy, cozy, perfect. Yay, scallops!
Scallops with Apples
Tender seared scallops team up with sweet apple slices and chopped walnuts for this easy and elegant seafood supper!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 sea scallops (the big guys)
- 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1 apple, cored and cut into small squares or matchsticks
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- While the rice is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add scallops and cook until just done, about 3 minutes per side (don’t move them while they are cooking so they get that nice sear). Remove from skillet, transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Turn heat down to medium high and add the shallot. Cook until tender, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the white wine and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and whisk in the cold butter until melted.
- Return the scallops to the pan along with the apple and walnuts. Stir for a minute or so until everything is covered with sauce and heated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve right away on warm plates.
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
OTHER SCALLOP RECIPES WE LOVE!
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