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A blue bowl with pea puree, topped with three seared scallops with a drizzle of butter sauce and garnished with fresh pea shoots.

Seared Scallops with Pea Puree & Butter Sauce

Seared scallops with a pea puree and a butter sauce, a simple starter that hero's the scallop.
4.79 from 19 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 410kcal
Author: Lesley Garden

Equipment

  • 2 saucepans
  • 1 Large frying pan or skillet
  • weighing scales
  • Measuring jug
  • measuring spoons
  • Spatula or wooden spoon
  • Whisk

Ingredients

Pea Puree

  • 25 g butter
  • 1 shallot (finely chopped)
  • 50 ml vegetable stock
  • 250 g frozen peas
  • salt & pepper

Butter Sauce

  • 100 g chilled butter (diced)
  • 1 shallot (finely chopped)
  • 2 black peppercorns
  • 100 ml white wine
  • 2 tablespoon double cream
  • salt & pepper

Pan Seared Scallops

  • 12 fresh scallops
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 lemon (quartered)

Instructions

Pea Puree

  • Add the butter to a saucepan and melt over a medium heat. Add the shallot to the pan and saute gently for 5 minutes to soften, but not colour.
  • Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil before adding the peas. Lower the heat and simmer the peas for 3-4 minutes until soft.
  • Sieve the peas to drain, retaining the cooking stock for later.
  • Pour the pea mixture into a food processor along with a little stock and blend. Add the remaining stock a little at a time until you have a reached the consistency that you want.
  • Season to taste and set aside until ready to plate.

Butter Sauce

  • Take one small cube of the butter and place it in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and peppercorns and saute gently for 5 minutes. Take care not to soften and not colour the shallot.
  • Increase the heat in the pan, add the white wine and reduce by three quarters. Add the cream and reduce that for a further 2 minutes.
  • Add the remaining butter a cube at a time, whisking until you have a smooth sauce.
  • Remove the black peppercorns and season to taste. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to serve.

Scallops

  • Wash the scallops and dry on some kitchen paper. Season both sides with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a large non-stick frying pan to a high temperature and add the oil. Place the scallops into a pan and allow them to cook for 2 minutes before flipping them over and cooking for a further minute on the other side.
  • Add the butter to the pan at this point and baste the scallop in melted butter, this will add to their flavour and give the scallops a lovely shine.
  • TIP: Do not move the scallops around the pan while they cook as you want the scallops to colour on each side whilst keeping the inside tender. When ready, remove the scallops from the pan quickly to avoid over cooking.
  • Place some pea puree on each of the serving plates and place the scallops on top. Pour over some of the butter sauce and serve a wedge of lemon on each plate. Serve immediately.

Notes

Cooking scallops - My top tip when it comes to cooking larger quantities of scallops is to place them into the pan in a circular pattern. When it comes to flipping the scallops over, you start again with the first scallop you placed in the pan and finish with the final scallop placed in the pan. I then follow the same circular pattern when removing the scallops from the pan. This little bit of order helps to stop the scallops from overcooking.
Split sauce - If the butter sauce looks like it's split, just add a little cold water to the pan and whisk well. This will bring the sauce back to how it should be.
Fresh herbs - If you want to add a little extra flavour to the dish you can do this by adding some fresh herbs. Either add some fresh mint to the pea puree or alternatively add some chopped fresh tarragon or parsley to the butter sauce. Both work really well with fish.
 
Nutrition Facts
Seared Scallops with Pea Puree & Butter Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 410 Calories from Fat 297
% Daily Value*
Fat 33g51%
Saturated Fat 19g119%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 11g
Cholesterol 89mg30%
Sodium 444mg19%
Potassium 357mg10%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 1437IU29%
Vitamin C 40mg48%
Calcium 45mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •

Course : Canape, Starter, Side
Cuisine : British
Keyword : easy seared scallops, Fish, how to make butter sauce, how to pan sear scallops, pan seared scallops, Seafood
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