Parmesan and Herb Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops and a Lemon Browned Butter Sauce

This was an awesome meal that I’ve made a couple times now.  The lemon browned butter sauce was probably the hardest part of this meal.  I actually burned my browned butter the first time because I was making a smaller portion and it burns VERY quickly so don’t stop swirling the pan!  I got the recipe for the pan seared scallops from my favorite cookbook, Cooks Illustrated, and they explain their reasoning behind this particular method of cooking and basting the scallops…

            “We found that waiting to add the scallops to the skillet until the oil was beginning to smoke, cooking the scallops in two batches instead of one, and switching to a nonstick skillet were all steps in the right direction.  But it wasn’t until we tried a common restaurant technique – butter basting- that our scallops really improved.  We seared the scallops in oil on one side and added butter to the pan after flipping them.  We then used a large spoon to ladle the foaming butter over the scallops.  Waiting to add the butter ensured that it had just enough time to work its browning magic on the scallops, but not enough time to burn…”

So there ya go!  I suggest that you serve this beautiful meal with some roasted asparagus – my recipe is posted on this blog!Also I'm going to post a recipe for Fried Risotto Balls or Arancini - if you wanna be fancy =]  Bon Appetite!

Parmesan and Herb Risotto with Pan Seared Scallops and a Lemon Browned Butter Sauce

(Yields 4 servings)

Ingredients:

(Risotto)

1 can (49 ounces) low sodium chicken broth

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley

3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Zest from a whole lemon

Juice from half a lemon

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

Scallops and Sauce:

12-16 about 1 ½ lbs large sea scallops (enough for 3-4 per person), tendons removed

Salt and Pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small shallot, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Directions:

For the risotto: bring the broth just to a simmer in a saucepan.  Reduce the heat to very low to keep the broth hot. 

In a deep, wide saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.  Add the onion and cook stirring frequently until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice and stir until the rice kernels are covered with the butter and the rice feels heavy in the spoon (do not toast the rice) about 2 minutes.  Add the wine and cook stirring constantly until the wine has almost evaporated. 

Add ½ cup of the hot broth to the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has almost completely absorbed the liquid.  Adjust the heat to medium-low to keep the risotto at a steady slow simmer.  Continue adding the broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring until the broth is almost completely absorbed before adding the next addition.  After about 15 minutes start tasting your rice to ensure that you don’t overcook it, one too many ladles can take your rice from al dente to overdone.  When your rice is al dente take it off the heat and stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and Parmesan.  Finally, add the lemon juice, zest, and herbs.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

For the scallops: place scallops in between a few paper towels and press gently to blot liquid.  Let scallops sit at room temperature 10 minutes while towels absorb moisture. 

Sprinkle scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking.  Add half of scallops in single layer, flat-side down, and cook, without moving, until well browned, 1 ½ to 2 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet.  Using tongs, flip scallops and continue to cook, using large spoon to baste scallops with melted butter (tilt skillet so butter runs to one side) until side of scallops are firm and centers are opaque, 30-90 seconds longer (remove smaller scallops as they finish cooking).  Transfer scallops to a large plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.  Wipe out skillet with wad of paper towels and repeat cooking with remaining oil, scallops and butter.  Serve immediately with the following lemon browned butter sauce.

For the lemon browned butter sauce: (makes about ¼ cup)

Heat 4 tablespoons butter in small saucepan over medium heat and cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes.  Add shallot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Remove pan from heat and stir in parsley, thyme and lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve risotto with scallops and lemon browned butter drizzled over the top of the scallops. 

Enjoy!