Pan Seared Scallops With Roasted Vegetables Recipe

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This pan-seared scallops with roasted vegetables dish combines savory roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash with a slightly sweet Balsalmic glaze and seared scallops for a perfect Valentine’s Day meal or Lenten feast.

About This Scallops With Veggies Recipe

To ring in 2018 my husband and I headed to the Bonefish Grill (sans kids) and went to bed by 9 pm. It was one of the best New Year’s in recent memory (no, really!) I had the chef’s special- pan-seared scallops with roasted vegetables and topped with a spicy sauce.

The dish was so delicious that I came home and made it 4 more times until I perfected the flavor. That’s because the dish cost $25 plus tax and tip, and it came with just 4 scallops. There’s just no way I could make that dish a habit.

First I started by perfecting the glaze- a spicy balsamic glaze that I am now using on a lot of different dishes because it’s to easy to make ahead and store in the fridge. Then I worked out the kinks on searing the scallops to perfection, and finally put the whole dish together.

It’s delicious- and I can make 4 portions for about $35, depending on the price of scallops. I love to find them on sale at Sprouts and then buy a few pounds extra and freeze them.

Related post: 15+ Lent Dinner Recipes

How To Sear Scallops- Perfectly

So I had a lot of scallop searing fails- raw on the inside burned on the outside was most common. To perfectly sear scallops just follow these steps:

1. Defrost your scallops. I do this in the refrigerator overnight when I buy the frozen bay scallops at Sprouts or Costco.
2. Use a nonstick skillet like this one. Heat pan with pat of butter or a good drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. . Some people say to use a large skillet but I use a small one because I think it heats more evenly.
3. While pan is heating, get out a plate or cutting board and a lot of paper towels or napkins. Place a few layers of paper towel on your surface, and then place the scallops on top. Place the rest of the paper towels on top of the scallops.
4. Pat scallops until very dry, using pressure when needed.
5. Place the scallops into the heated pan and reduce skillet heat to medium. Sear on one side until golden brown- 2-3 minutes.
6. Flip scallops and sear the other side. Scallops are thoroughly cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and are no longer translucent inside. Serve immediately.
7. Note- if you are making grilled scallops you can do this same process but spray the scallops with cooking spray before placing them on the grill.

What To Serve With Scallops

There are so many things so serve with scallops, and obviously I think this recipe is the best. Some other ideas include:

• mashed potatoes (one of my favorite side dishes!)
• avocado salsa
• chimichurri
• creamed corn
• white wine and lemon sauce
• bacon wrap them!
• any vegetable mixture
• white rice
• boiled green plantains
• yucca fries

Pan-Seared Scallops With Vegetables Recipe

(printable recipe below)

Ingredients

sea scallops
bacon (optional)
butternut squash cubed
mushrooms sliced
red pepper sliced
Brussels sprouts quartered
bacon grease or olive oil
butter or margarine
salt and pepper

For the glaze

brown sugar
cornstarch
balsamic vinegar
water
soy sauce
white vinegar
chili paste, Sriracha sauce or red pepper flakes

Cooking Instructions

For the scallops

1. First pan fry the bacon, chop into small pieces and set aside. Remove about half of the bacon grease from the skillet. While the bacon is cooking, pat dry the scallops and remove the side mussels. Over medium-high heat, sear the scallops, about 2 minutes per side or until no longer opaque. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I don’t cook the scallops until the very end.

For the vegetables

1. Cube the butternut squash and quarter the Brussels sprouts. Slice mushrooms and chop red pepper into strips. Using 1-2 TB of leftover bacon grease, (or other oil if you are not using bacon), pan fry the veggies on medium until tender.

For the glaze

1. While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the balsamic glaze by whisking all the ingredients together except cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on medium-low heat until the sauce simmers. Whisk in cornstarch until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

Serving Tips

Serve the scallops with roasted vegetables, plate the veggies and place scallops on top. I usually serve about 8 scallops per person. You can drizzle everything with fresh lemon juice if you want.

Drizzle the glaze over the top and sprinkle bacon bits as a garnish. I will leave a serving dish of glaze on the table as inevitably people want more during the meal.  Bon appetit!

Substitutions

Omit bacon for a perfect Lenten dish.

You can use half basalmic vinegar and half soy sauce or coconut aminos.

Variations

I recently made this dish and forgot to put in the brown sugar. It was delicious and a lot lower calorie.

Serve on top of this white rice recipe for a filling bowl.

Printable Recipe

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