Firm buttery seared scallops, seasoned with lemon served with a fresh and crunchy apple and parsley salad with shallot dressing.
What is your favourite food?
Once I stopped them saying lollies, Mr 8 would say smoked salmon and Mr 5 would say sausages. I think Stew would go burgers and I would spend the next half an hour debating with myself about it!!!
I am such a decisive person 😉 we all know I love pasta and cheese, but I think up there has to be seafood. Whenever I go out for dinner I watch longingly as couples order the 4 tier seafood platters. Oh how I love the look of those. Sadly Stew eats seafood but he doesn't love it enough to order a platter.
But one thing I can always get him to eat are scallops. Fat juicy scallops seared to perfection, so they are quiveringly tender inside with a delicious crisp crust. This recipe is one I came up with to go with a very specific wine. I knew I wanted sweet rich shellfish, the tartness of fruit and a herby bite.
A month or so ago I was on Facebook and Brown Hill Estate wine were looking for people to be taste testers. Of course I clicked through!!!! I filled it all in and I found out in April that I had been selected. A couple of weeks ago 3 wonderful bottles of wine arrived on my doorstep.
YES!!! Wine by mail! Perfect. Just for disclosure, although I got the wine for free, it wasn't part of my blog. I applied for it with my own personal Facebook account, there was no expectation that the wine would appear on the blog. BUT I loved the wines, so I thought I would share.
I was sent 3 wines, but today I am talking about the Sauvignon Blanc Semillion. First thing I noticed was the colour, this was a very pale wine, before I had even tasted it I was excited. It was my sort of white wine, dry, crisp and with a hint of tropical flavours. Think just ripe mango and green pawpaw rather than pineapple and passionfruit. There was a hint of citrus, and a slight grassy edge.
This is the kind of wine that you want in the fridge, perfect for opening before dinner and drinking as your meal is served. I picked a seafood salad, but I think this would be great with goats cheese, maybe with some sweet fig. Also the fresh crisp taste would also compliment something with a hint of spice.
So many ideas....I had better get a case in!!!
But for today I am sharing seared scallop served with an apple and shallot salad. The salad is dressed with a lemon vinaigrette and has plenty of fresh parsley stirred through it. And the Brown Hill Estates Sauvignon Blanc Semillion worked superbly with it. (can you tell I loved this wine!!!) The hint of citrus played perfectly with the rich scallops and the balance of acidity and fruit, meant it complimented the apple, lemon and parsley in the salad.
This salad works well as an appetiser or serve it up with some bread and you have a wonderful light lunch. Two things to note when searing scallops. Get you pan nice and hot and once you put them in there, give them plenty of time to form a crust. They are delicate and if they aren't fully seared they can easily tear when you try to turn them.
Pour yourself a glass and enjoy x
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Scallops with an Apple and Shallot Salad
Ingredients
- 12 large scallops
- 1 large shallot.
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 1 green apple - Granny Smith is my recommendation
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- knob of butter
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- large handful of fresh parsley
- 2 handfuls of lettuce leaves - I used the leaves from a round lettuce
Instructions
- Start by drying the scallops. Lay them out on kitchen paper and gently blot the top.
- Zest the lemon and set it aside.
- Finely slice the shallot and place in a small jug with the EVOO, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Cut the apple into quarters, remove the core and slice into thin strips. Place it in a non-reactive bowl and pour over the dressing.
- Place a heavy bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once it is hot, add the butter and carefully add the scallops. Sear for 2 minutes until nicely golden. Then carefully flip them over and cook for a further minute.
- Transfer the scallops to the serving dish. Season with salt, pepper and some of the reserved lemon zest.
- Roughly chop the parsley and add it along with the lettuce leaves to the dressing. Turn to coat and then arrange next to the scallops.
- Serve immediately
Kylie Ricker says
Amazing dinner! We loved it! The scallops were perfectly cooked and the salad went perfectly. I would make this again and again if scallops weren’t 20 bucks.
Claire McEwen says
I know!!! The cost of scallops is so restrictive, isn't it?! They are my favourite shellfish (save from maybe lobster) but I don't eat them often as the price tag is just so high.
So happy that you enjoyed the salad and scallops...I think the salad could work with shrimp too 🙂
Cx
Gerlinde @ Sunnycoveschef says
Seared scallops are one of my favorite foods and I love serving them with a light salad like yours.
Claire McEwen says
I couldn't agree more Gerlinde, when the star of the dish is so good, you don't need to do much to make everything sing 🙂
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy says
Scallops are perfect with salad. We love them here and eat them often. Perfect for special occasions....and great with wine!!
Claire McEwen says
I agree, great with wine......although not sure I can think of a food that isn't 😉 Cheers 😉
Ronda J Eagle says
Being from New England, I love seafood - especially scallops. Yours looked perfectly browned and cooked to perfection. It's so easy to go over temp on scallops because it's just a few seconds of latitude. I'm particularly interested in your accompaniment of the apple & parsley salad with shallot dressing.
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Ronda, and I agree over cooked scallops are such a disappointment 🙁
Melissa @ My Wife Can Cook says
Wine by mail? Why have I never tried this? My husband and I love scallops. This looks amazing, saving to try soon!
Claire McEwen says
I know right. It all arrived packed in polystyrene and ready to drink. It was the perfect thing to come home too!!!
I hope you both love this dish 🙂
Sarah @ Champagne Tastes says
ooo I love Seared Scallops! They're one of my favorites. Putting them with a salad sounds delicious! (and with that tasty wine yay! haha)
Claire McEwen says
Wine makes everything taste better doesn't it 😉
Fareeha Rahmath Ahmed says
Yummm.... Haven't made scallops but i'm sure this is gonna be a favorite in home
Claire McEwen says
Oh you should try them, if you love shellfish then I think you will love them. They are so sweet and soft 🙂
Linnea says
gr8 idea for a salad and lucky you - free wine!
Claire McEwen says
I know. Free wine is always welcome!
And it was amazingly yummy too!
Fitz says
The colour on the scallops is beautiful!
Claire McEwen says
Thank you Fitz
Cat says
What an elegant and simple appetizer idea!
Scallops are my boyfriends favourite shellfish, so I think I will make this for date night.
Claire McEwen says
I hope your boyfriend loves it. It is the perfect date night meal! x
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Claire! I'm with you on seafood, it is all so good! On Sunday I made a sausage, chicken and seafood paella which included shrimp, scallops, mussels and lobster. I splurged on the seafood because it was Mother's Day! 🙂
Claire McEwen says
I love that you splurged 🙂 Food is such an important part of a celebration isn't it?
I hope you had a wonderful Mother's day Dorothy 🙂 x