Seared Scallops and Almond Vinaigrette

Hola - long time since I have posted! I will have two entries this week, one for an entree and the other for a dessert!

I found the recipe through Bon Appetit. This was a surprisingly simple dish, since, I tend to get intimidated by scallops thanks to watching Gordon Ramsey throw fits over them in all seasons of Hells Kitchen, anyone else scared of scallops because of this? Just me?

The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup roasted almonds, preferably Marcona
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon (or more) Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 8 large sea scallops (about 9 oz.), side muscle removed
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 tablespoons peach preserves
• Fresh herbs, baby arugula, or microgreens

Preparation

• Finely chop almonds into small pieces but not into a powder. Mix almonds and 4 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl. Whisk in 1 Tbsp. vinegar and chives; season vinaigrette with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Add to skillet. Cook until deep golden and caramelized, 2–3 minutes. Turn scallops; add butter and thyme. Cook, frequently tilting skillet and spooning butter over, until scallops are deep golden and just cooked through, 2–3 minutes longer. (Basting adds extra flavor.)
• Stir preserves and 1/2 tsp. water in a small bowl to loosen. For an appetizer, smear about 1/2 Tbsp. preserve mixture in center of each plate. For an entrée, smear 1 Tbsp. preserve mixture. Top with 2–4 scallops each. Drizzle some vinaigrette over. Garnish with herbs.

 

MY ADAPTATIONS: 

I was able to find the champagne vinegar at Publix, and I scored some peach mango presveres from the HomeGoods store - they always have cooking goodies there!

I could not find micro greens, so I got a baby spring mix, worked just as well!

I used raw blanched almonds and toasted them myself in a pan and added then to my vinaigrette mixture while they were still warm, my thought was that because the almonds were warm its oils were able to infuse better with vinaigrette. This theory probably only makes sense in my head though. 

The scallops had great flavor and the light sweetness from the preserves was a nice compliment. The end product was a beautiful, simple, and clean dish. I really enjoyed it, and so did my guest!



My version of Seared Scallops and Almond Vinaigrette