Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree with Walnut Butter
Easy Fine Dining! These Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree are perfect for a Valentine's dinner or a romantic date night at home. It looks sensational but really is so simple to make, plus it is naturally gluten free, low carb and Keto friendly. You can serve it as a main course or an appetizer, plus the cauliflower puree can be made in advance! Treat someone you love this Valentine's Day with a restaurant style seared scallop dinner!
Place the cauliflower and the vegetable stock in a sauce pan then bring to a simmer and cook for 8-12 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.
Drain the cauliflower well, reserving the cooking liquid.
Puree the cauliflower using either a handheld immersion blender, food processor or blender. Adding in a little cooking liquid until you have a constancy that you like.
Season to taste and either divide it up between two covered plates or set aside until needed. (see note 2)
To cook the scallops
First ensure the scallops are dry by patting them with paper towel to remove any moisture. Then leave them to sit on a sheet of paper towel.
Place a heavy non-stick fry pan over a medium high heat and add the oil. Let the oil get smoking hot.
Season the scallops lightly with salt. Then carefully and quickly add the scallops to the fry pan. Do them individually starting at 12 o’clock and working around the outside of the pan.
Cook the scallops for 90 seconds on one side.
Turn the heat off under the pan and add the butter and walnuts to the fry pan.
Use tongs to gently turn each scallop over into the sizzling butter, again starting at 12 o’clock and working around in the same order you added the scallops. (see note 3)
Once the butter has stopped sizzling, add 3 scallops to each plate and spoon over the walnut butter.
Garnish with pomegranate arils and chopped oregano/parsley.
Serve immediately.
Notes
To do this, lay your thawed scallops on a sheet of kitchen paper and then pat the tops with a second sheet. Repeat this (swapping both the top and the bottom until the scallops seem almost tacky and sticky.
This cauliflower puree heats up wonderfully! So if you want to make it in advance, once it has been pureed/whizzed/mashed place in a microwavable container and cover it in the fridge. To reheat, give it 3-4 minutes in the microwave until steaming hot.
Adding the scallops to the pan in an ordered pattern means you know which scallop was added to the pan first, so it can be the first scallop you flip when the 90 seconds are up. This ensuring that the scallops are perfectly cooked and deliciously tender. Using a clock face is just an easy way to visualise the pan.