Scallops are an affordable, indulgent food when created at home with exciting flavors and sauces. This combination balances the tart citrus with the buttery seared scallops.
By Brittany Everett
I combined the tart, berry-like blood orange juice with some red miso paste for the sauce. If you don’t have red miso paste (or white or yellow, for that matter) it’s a product I’d highly recommend adding to your regular rotation. The red variety has a much stronger, saltier flavor than its white and yellow counterparts, but they all have an interesting, earthy, umami-packed flavor profile that will spice up a wide range of dishes.
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Miso Blood Orange Scallops
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 teaspoon blood orange zest
- 1/4 cup blood orange juice (from 1 medium orange)
- 2 tablespoons red miso paste
- 1/2 lb dry sea scallops
- coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, divided
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the blood orange zest, juice, and miso paste. Set aside. Warm a large pan over medium-high heat. Let it get really hot.
- Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and season very lightly with salt and pepper. Add the oil and 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan; swirl to melt the butter.
- Add the scallops and thyme, being sure not to crowd the scallops, and let them get a good sear on the first side (2-3 minutes).
- When the scallops are well browned, flip them over. If you’re feeling fancy, tilt the pan slightly and use a spoon to hit each scallop a few times with the fat in the pan. When the scallops are browned on the second side and almost cooked through, transfer them to a plate.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the shallots to the pan. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
- Add the miso blood orange mixture to the pan, and whisk to combine. Simmer for about 30 seconds,
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter and the parsley. Spoon the sauce over the scallops and serve.
- Category: Main
