Seared Scallops with Toasted Hazelnut and Parmesan Cream Sauce
Why I Love This Recipe
I just made this last night and I could have eaten the whole recipe! I had the sauce recipe for years cut out from some magazine, but I've been craving scallops lately. So I paired the two. While I served it as a main dish, I think it would make a nice first course for a dinner party, or even an individual scallop in a Chinese spoon as an amuse bouche would be awesome.
Ingredients You'll Need
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh parmesan cheese, grated
pinch fresh ground black pepper
1 pound dry sea scallops, 16 scallops
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Melt 1 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan, over medium-high heat. Add hazelnuts and stir until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve. In same pan, melt remaining butter. Add flour and stir for about 2 minutes or until mixture is golden. Add chicken stock and continue stirring until thickened. Stir in cream, Parmesan cheese, pepper and one-half of the toasted hazelnuts. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Thoroughly pat the scallops dry. Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other. Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center.
Pour a quarter of the sauce on each plate and place 4 scallops in the center. Sprinkle each serving with remaining butter-toasted hazelnuts.