These fancy seared scallops on a pea puree are served with a butter orange sauce and crispy quinoa. The combination of crispy and soft textures makes this elevated dish the perfect meal for a romantic dinner! Moreover, this recipe requires less than 10 ingredients! I love making pea puree when I am cooking a fancy French dish. Making it is so simple and serves as a great base in French cuisine. Not only their vibrant green color stands out, but their subtle sweet taste make them a perfect accompaniment for any delicate protein such as chicken, white fish or shelled seafood. Moreover, the puffed crispy quinoa adds an additional layer of texture complexity in this dish.
INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE
TIPS FOR MAKING SEARED SCALLOPS ON PEA PUREE
MAKING THE QUINOA CRISPS
Preheat your oven to 200°F. Rinse quinoa and lay them out on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper. They should be lined as a single layer for even cooking. Roast them for 30 minutes, or until they dry up. On a hot skillet on medium heat, toast them they become golden brown.
MAKING THE PEA PUREE
In a skillet on medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and shallot. Cook them until shallot becomes soft, about 5 minutes. If your shallot and garlic start to burn, you should lower the heat. Add peas and stir fry for 3 minutes for fresh peas and an additional 2 minutes for frozen ones. Add vegetable stock, bring it to a simmer for 5 minutes. At this stage, the peas are cooked and soft, but still have a vibrant green color.
Remove 2 Tablespoons of the cooked peas and reserve them aside. They will be used during the plating. In a food processor or blender, add the cooked peas mixture and blend until a smooth puree is obtained. If you want your pea puree to be extra smooth, you can strain the puree through a mesh strainer and discard the remaining pea fibers. This last step is a bit more time consumming and totally optional. Personally, I only do the straining when I have guests coming over. Otherwise, the puree is coming straight from the blender to the plate!
SEARING THE SCALLOPS
The secret in having a beautiful golden brown crust is to make sure that your skillet is hot and your scallops are completely dry before searing them. You can pat the scallops dry with a paper towel. To add extra crispiness on the crust, you can also dry them out further by leaving them uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
Scallops take less than 5 minutes to cook. You will know they are cooked through when they become opaque. The searing on side side only takes about 90 seconds and you should only flip them over once.
PLATING
On a plate, layer pea puree. Add seared scallops. Scatter cooked whole peas reserved earlier. Garnish with chopped chives (optional) and quinoa crisps. Pour over the glazed butter and orange sauce, about 2 to 3 tsp.
STORAGE
If you have leftover pea puree, you can refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days. I like to have leftover puree because I can just use it as a base to any protein such as a white fish filet that I can whip up quickly on a busy night. Additionally, your quinoa crisps can be store at room temperature in a sealed bag for a week. You can use it as a salad topper!
Equipment
- Baking sheet with parchment paper
- Skillet
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
For the seared scallops
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 lb scallops
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- Zest of an orange
For the pea puree
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 lb sweet peas fresh or frozen
- ½ cup vegetable stock
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the quinoa crisps
- ¼ cup quinoa
- Salt & pepper to taste
To garnish
- 2 Tbsp cooked whole sweet peas
- Chopped chives optional
Instructions
Making the quinoa crisps:
- Preheat oven to 200°F. Rinse quinoa and lay them out on a lined baking sheet with parchment paper. Roast them for 30 minutes, or until they dry up.
- On a skillet on medium heat, add the roasted quinoa and toast them by stirring occasionally, until they become golden brown.
Making the pea puree:
- In a skillet on medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and shallot. Cook them until shallot becomes soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add peas and stir fry for 3 minutes for fresh peas and 5 minutes if they are frozen.
- Add vegetable stock, bring it to a simmer for 5 minutes. At this stage, the peas are cooked and soft, but still have a vibrant green color.
- Remove 2 Tablespoons of the cooked peas and reserved those for the plating.
- In a food processor or blender, add the cooked peas mixture and blend until a smooth puree is obtained.
- If you want it to be extra smooth: Strain the pea puree through a mesh strainer and discard the remaining pea fibers.
Searing the scallops
- Pat dry all the scallops with a paper towel.
- In a skillet on medium-high heat, melt butter. Add scallops and sear until they become opaque and a brown crust forms, about 60-90 seconds per side. Remove them and set aside.
- Add orange juice and zest and deglaze the pan. Decrease heat to low until the sauce is reduced to half its volume.
Plating:
- On a plate, layer pea puree. Add seared scallops. Scatter cooked whole peas reserved earlier. Garnish with chopped chives (optional) and quinoa crisps. Pour over the glazed butter and orange sauce, about 2 to 3 tsp.
