by lastnightsdinner
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by Sarah Shatz
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by lastnightsdinner
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by Sarah Shatz
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by sygyzy
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1 pound
wild dry sea scallops
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4 tablespoons
unsalted butter
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1 tablespoon
unbleached all-purpose flour
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1 cup
whole milk
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Kosher or sea salt
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1 bunch
spring onions, about ½ lb.
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2 tablespoons
fresh tarragon leaves
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grapeseed or other neutral oil
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2 tablespoons
crème fraiche
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fresh chives for garnish
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Place the scallops on a plate or platter and refrigerate, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Ask the hotline about this step!Trim the spring onions, separating the green tops from the small bulbs. Dice the bulbs and roughly chop the greens.
Ask the hotline about this step!Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped spring onion bulbs and a pinch of salt, reduce the heat to low, and cook 20-25 minutes, until very soft. Add the green tops, toss through, and cook an additional 5-10 minutes until soft but still bright green. Sprinkle the flour over and cook for a minute or two, just until the raw flour smell is gone. Add the milk, raising the heat to medium, and cook briefly until thickened. Add the tarragon leaves and stir through, then turn off the heat and pour the mixture into a blender. Puree until very smooth, then return to the pan over low heat, cooking until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Ask the hotline about this step!Pour a thin film of grapeseed oil in the bottom of a sauté pan and warm over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully add the scallops a few at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan, and sear them just couple of minutes per side until they are nicely browned and caramelized - they should release from the pan easily once they’re ready, and they should still be a little jiggly in the middle, as they will continue to cook off the heat. Set aside and keep warm.
Ask the hotline about this step!Taste the sauce and adjust salt if necessary. Whisk in the crème fraiche off the heat until the mixture is smooth, then spoon a little of the sauce into the bottom of shallow, warmed bowls, place scallops on top, and garnish with fresh chives.
Ask the hotline about this step!I cooked this for dinner tonight for my adult children and it was a huge hit. Not the right time of year to get spring onions so I used leeks and scallions. It's a really lovely dish. Thank you.
I'm very excited to try these out for dinner tomorrow. Can you recommend sides to go with this? And how do you ideally present the scallops. As a stand-alone course. In the picture it is by itself so was hoping for some guidance. Thanks!
I made this a few nights ago and as everyone has already said, the sauce is to die for. My husband went bananas ha nearly ate the plate! The perfect foil for so many things and so simple. Definitely a keeper.
great recipe for scallops! but the cream sauce is to die for... i've used it in lots of ways, even spread on multigrain bread, covered with a slice of cheese and broiled for lunch. yummm. i'm tempted to eat it with a spoon!
Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it!
forgot to mention... this sauce is great with steamed artichokes too!
This is why I think it's such a great recipe..that shouldn't just be limited to scallops.
It works in many ways. I used leftovers on asparagus and it keeps beautifully in the 'fridge for a day or so..plus the color makes it look great on a plate.
I want to thank you. I made this last it and it was a major hit, a keeper.
I couldn't find really good scallops, so I used up some vac-paced talipa and cooked them with clarified butter and a crust of "Wondera Flour" and some drops of lemon/olive oil to the sauce after plating.
Well done!
Thank you so much! And glad to hear the sauce worked with other seafood - your prep sounds lovely!
making this tonight! so excited!
I made this tonight and it was really really good. The star of the dish is of course the sauce, which tastes like it could work with almost any protein. I see using it with a firm fish like swordfish or even grilled chicken breast. I used 6 oz of green onion, half a medium yellow onion, and a large shallot. I also used dried tarragon instead of fresh after failing to find it in three stores. Really, amazing recipe.
I just made this. It was delicious! I used scallions instead of spring onions.
Thank you so much! Scallions are a perfect substitute :) So glad you enjoyed it!
oh and side note: add toasted pinenuts on top!!!! :D
i absolutely LOVEDDDDD this recipe!!! didn't have spring onion because it's not spring anymore, but used leek stems and diced yellow onions. this was definitely pleasing to the palate :)
Thanks, MsChristina! So glad you tried and liked it, and I love your addition of toasted pine nuts!
Thanks, all, for your congrats, and thank you to all who have tried this and liked it - I'm so thrilled.
Oh my heavens--sublime! FINALLY made this last night--my husband and I are still swooning. He's leaving on business tomorrow so I get to finish the sauce, however I please! Thank you for this marvelous addition and CONGRATULATIONS!
I made this last night and it was so delicious... but be careful to not add too much tarragon or the anise flavour will overwhelm the sauce.
Congrats, Jen, love love love this recipe. You rock. xxxx shayma
This recipe looks amazing. I cannot wait to try it.
Congrats! I'm trying this sauce on SOMETHING this weekend. Scallops if I can find decent ones!
Lovely! So glad this simple but delicious dish will be in the book.
Congrats LND! looking forward to trying them!
Congrats LND! You are a force to be reckoned with. If you keep it up, A&M are going to have to rename the cookbook to the "Food 52 & LND Cookbook."
Thanks so much! I was convinced your scallops would win - such a wonderful recipe, and the roasted lemons are inspired! I can't wait to make it at home soon.
Yay! Congrats ... i love the cobos in this dish ... simple and elegant ... can't wait to try it!
I made this last weekend. The sauce was intoxicating. I saved the last little bit from the pot and enjoyed it the next day over asparagus. Really, I'm sure it would be good poured over almost anything, but with the scallops, it's fantastic.
Congrats, LND on another great win! Gotta keep my eyes open for these Bomster scallops.
I've been in meetings all morning - what a thrill to see this when I came out! Thank you all SO much!
Congratulations on the win! I never make scallops--my husband is allergic--but I'm looking forward to trying the sauce.
congratulations, lastnightsdinner! a beautiful recipe :)
A lovely recipe~I love the mix of spring onions, tarragon and creme fraiche.
Congratulations and thank you! Can NOT wait to try this. It looks and "feels/smells" gorgeous"!
Thanks again, everyone! You sure know how to make a girl blush :)
Tarragon is an absolute favorite of mine, and so good with seafood. Congratulations, and thanks for such a great recipe.
Tarragon is one of those underused, underappreciated herbs. You've elevated it to something truly special in this dish. Congrats!
Congrats! What a yummy and pretty recipe!
CONGRATS on being a finalist with such a great recipe!! I'm buying some scallops today and am planning on this for dinner. It sounds just wonderful!!
Thanks so much, everyone! I'm so honored and humbled, particularly going up against such great competition!
Congrats. This is a great dish. As I mention below, I made it with pompano and then I used the leftover sauce with scallops the next night. And if that wasn't enough, I made the sauce on Monday and tossed it with sauteed summer squash, peas, and pasta. It was delicious.
Yay! Congrats, can't wait to class up my joint by making this.
Brava, brava and yes, I-told-you-so :)
I made the sauce...somehow way too thick. Delicious but I thought that the amount in your pic was waaay to much for the scallop...soo rich !
Oh, my gosh. I'm absolutely dying. Die-ing.
And can I just say that I am so jealous that you have scallops at your farmers market? We don't do that here in Chicago.
As promised...made this tonight and wow wow wow delicious. I think I over-thickened the sauce - tasted great, though. I have a dinner party planned in a couple of weeks and will plan on doing this for a starter. Wonderful, thank you!
Tarragon is my favorite herb....period. This is definitely the next way I will be making scallops.
I hope you like it!
I made the spring onion soubise tonight and served it with a piece of fresh Florida pompano. It took every bit of self-control not to just pour the sauce in a bowl and eat it like a soup. It was that good - and I didn't even add the creme fraiche. Great recipe.
Wow, thank you!
(and I spent a lot of time in Florida when I was younger - there's nothing like fresh pompano. I miss it!)
That caramelization on those scallops looks amazing. Do you use non-stick or an anodized pan to get that finish?
Thanks! I used an 11-inch All-Clad Stainless French Skillet for the scallops.
This is a gorgeous recipe. Yum. My tarragon is just greening up in the garden and I can't wait to give this a try.
Thank you, my friend :)
I hope you like it!
Thanks so much, everyone!
mrslarkin, there are a couple of different types of soubise sauces - Escoffier has a version which is basically onions cooked slowly with a bechamel (which is what I tried to do here), Julia Child did a rice-based version, and there are soubise recipes on the internet that are neither.
Thanks so much for the tips! Will check them out. P.S. I love all your recipes - they are very inspiring.
Fabulous!
ohhh....that's very nice. what's soubise? french word for sauce?
These look absolutely delicious and the photo is beautiful!
Ken is an award-winning executive chef and owner of seven Boston area restaurants: Clio, Toro, Uni, Coppa, KO Prime, La Verdad and Earth.
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This is a spring onion. If you can't find one, just use scallions. Any questions?
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A tangle of tarragon awaits its maker.
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Would you want to meet this character in a dark alley? We think not.
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It makes quick work of the poor tarragon.
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Amanda dices the bulb of the onion while Merrill chops the green stalks. Both will go into lastnightsdinner's sauce.
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The bulb bathes in butter, softening for 20 to 25 minutes.
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In go the greens, but only for a few minutes (you don't want them going gray on you).
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A bit of flour to thicken the sauce.
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Amanda can't resist a little sniff.
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This is basically a modified bechamel: you then add milk to the onions, butter and flour.
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Followed by that tarragon you saw a little earlier...
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Amanda bravely purées the hot, hot sauce -- make sure to use a tea towel and hold the lid on tightly if you don't have time to wait for the sauce to cool a little.
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Lastnightsdinner has you put the scallops in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes before cooking them, which helps to dry them out in preparation for searing.
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Just a slick of grapeseed oil and a very hot pan are needed to keep them from sticking.
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Just to be safe, Merrill stares down her scallops, willing them not to stick.
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Mission accomplished!
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A spoonful of creme fraiche rounds out the sauce -- because, really, what could be better?
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This was a fantastic dish and beautiful to plate!!!