Scallops with Herbed Brown Butter

Out of all of the different types of seafood I've attempted to cook, I would rank shrimp and scallops to be the easiest to manage. Some may be surprised to hear this about scallops. Perhaps it's because of its delicate texture, or the fact that they can be fairly expensive to purchase at a grocery store or in a seafood restaurant.

In my opinion, the three most important requirements of scallops:

1. You need to make sure you get your hands on really fresh, large scallops (e.g. from Whole Foods or a seafood specialized market). It may be tempting to buy the small scallops to save a few bucks. However, if you're going to make your scallops the star of your dish, they should be nice and plump!

2. You need to carefully pay attention to them while searing. The biggest mistake that I've seen people make it overcooking and, therefore, drying them out. (Similar to searing a steak!)

3. You don't need a lot of ingredients or flavors to make scallops. Its natural taste along is enough to satisfy one's tastebuds.

The recipe below calls for very few ingredients, and the whole cooking process will only take you about 20 minutes! Add some garnish and beautiful plating, and you'll easily have a hit appetizer for your next dinner party.

Scallops with Herbed Brown Butter

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb large scallops

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

• 1/8 tsp lemon juice

• ~4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme

• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Rinse scallops under cool water. Dry them on paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over each side.

• In a medium to large pan, melt butter on medium high heat. As the butter melts, the color will change from light yellow to dark gold/yellow then to brown. Once it becomes dark gold/yellow, place scallops on the pan.

• Let the scallops sit for about 3-4 minutes, or until the bottom becomes nicely charred and browned. Meanwhile, drizzle lemon juice over the scallops and add thyme to the pan.

• Turn each scallop over and let sit for another 3-4 minutes, or until the bottom becomes nicely charred and browned.

• Turn off stove and transfer scallops from pan to serving plate. You can serve scallops as appetizers or accompany with pasta or other desired sides.