Seared scallops on corn puree is by far one of my favorite meals and really pretty simple to pull off. It is award winning with my guests…they always rave. It is also pretty flexible. Use linguica sausage, chorizo, sausage, bacon or Pancetta as your meat flavoring to cook the scallops, and as a crispy garnish on top of the dish. If you don’t eat pork, you might want to try turkey bacon but that might not render enough fat to cook the scallops, so add additional olive oil when it is time to cook the scallops.
Any color bell pepper works and if you don’t have jalapeno, you can use the spicy pepper of your choice or some chili flakes. Want it hotter? Add more. Want it rich and decadent? Use cream. Watching the waistline? Use skim milk.
The best tips I can give you on this dish is to really be sure those scallops are dry. If I’m planning ahead, I’ll salt the scallops and put them in the fridge overnight. I dry them again with paper towels before cooking in a skillet. I find a non-stick pan works best for the scallops. It prevents sticking and tearing of the scallops BUT I’ve also used a cast iron skillet with great success. The biggest piece of advice I can give you when searing your scallops is DON’T play with them. Let the pan get really hot before starting to cook. Let the scallops cook for the noted time before flipping them. They will naturally create the crust and easily come away from the pan if you don’t mess with them. It will be easier and they won’t stick if they are ready to flip. Let them cook and they’ll get that gold brown color you are looking for. You just cook the scallops on the second side for a minute or so…less than 1/2 the time you cooked on the first side. You don’t want to overcook them or they become rubbery. Give this one a try, you won’t be disappointed.
How to make corn puree
To get started, boil a large pot of water. Remove the husks from the corn. Cook in the boiling water for five minutes. Drain and let cool until you are able to handle the corn. Once cool enough, using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the corn from the cobs. Put half the corn in a blender with ½ cup of the milk of your choice. Skim milk will produce a thinner puree but will also save a ton of calories and limit saturated fats. Don’t worry about the consistency; by blending the corn with the milk, it will get thick. Enjoy full fat milk, half and half, and/or cream if that is your preference. All provide great results. Obviously, some will be thicker than others but I really like keep this corn puree light so I can make it and eat it more often. So, I almost always use skim milk.
Blend until smooth. It will be thicker and have some texture. Taste. Season with salt and pepper and taste again. Blend one final time. Put your sweet corn puree to the side.
Dry the scallops with paper towel. You want them very, very dry to help with the searing process. Remove the little muscle on the side of the scallop (it is easy to see in the photo below). Discard that abductor muscle…it is tough to eat. Alternatively, you can save them in a plastic bag in the freezer and use when making seafood stock. Place the scallops on a paper towel lined plate and salt them. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to draw out more liquid and help dry them out.
Chop your veggies and slice your tomatoes in half.
Once everything is combined, add the blended corn and milk mixture and heat through. Add salt and pepper if needed (taste). Add the tablespoon of light butter and stir in. (This is optional but adds a bit of richness and creaminess to the sauce.) If you want a looser puree, just add a little extra chicken stock or broth. You can keep this warm over a low heat while you cook your scallops.
Meanwhile, heat the sausage or bacon in a skillet and get the meat very crispy. Remove sausage or bacon with a slotted spoon to another paper towel lined plate.
You should have about 2 teaspoons of fat in the pan. Add about 1 Tsp. of olive oil to that same pan (Don’t remove the fat there. You want that for flavor.) You will heat this pan until it is almost smoking hot. You will be cooking the scallops in this pan.
Remove the scallops from the refrigerator and dry them off again. Add in a single layer to the screaming hot pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sizzle UNDISTURBED for about 3 minutes. This will get you that beautiful brown crust that you are looking for.
Turn them over and cook for 1-1 ½ minutes more. Meanwhile, add the cut tomatoes to the corn puree and stir to heat through. Place half the corn mixture in each of two shallow pasta or salad bowls and top with four scallops, a sprinkle of chives and some of the crispy sausage or bacon you have waiting.
This is such a tasty and elegant meal and one you’ll make over and over again. If you like this recipe, please leave a rating below and if you’ve made it, let me know how it turned out in the comments below. Are you a fan of scallops? Do try some of my other favs:
Scallops and Mushrooms in Puff Pastry with a Bourbon Cream Sauce
Seared Scallops On Corn Puree
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 8 Jumbo Sea Scallops
- 2 Oz. Linguica Sausage or 2 slices of bacon, finely diced
- 1 Tsp. Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp. Chopped chives
CORN PUREE
- 4 Ears of corn
- 2 Tsp. Olive oil
- ½ Shallot, finely diced
- 2 Tbsp. Red or orange bell pepper, finely diced
- ¼ Jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
- ½ Cup Skim milk, whole milk, half and half, or heavy cream
- ¼ Cup Chicken stock
- ½ Cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 Tbsp. Butter (optional)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water. Remove the husks from the corn. Cook in the boiling water for five minutes. Drain and let cool until you are able to handle the corn. Once cool enough, cut the corn from the cobs. Put half the corn in a blender with ½ cup of the milk of your choice. Skim milk will produce a thinner puree but will also save a ton of calories and limit saturated fats. Don’t worry about the consistency; by blending the corn with the milk, it will get thick. Enjoy full fat milk and/or cream if that is your preference. All provide great results. Put to the side.
- Dry the scallops with paper towel. You want them very, very dry to help with the searing process. Remove the little muscle on the side of the muscle (it is easy to see in the photo below) Place them on a paper towel lined plate and salt them. Put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to draw out more liquid and help dry them out.
- In a large skillet, add two teaspoons of olive oil, the shallot, jalapeno and bell pepper. Stir to soften the vegetables. Add the other half of the corn kernels and stir. Add the ¼ cup of chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste. Once everything is combined, add the blended corn and milk mixture and heat through. Add salt and pepper if needed (taste). Add the tablespoon of butter and stir in. (this is optional)
- Meanwhile, heat the sausage or bacon in a skillet and get the meat very crispy. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon to another paper towel lined plate. You should have about 2 teaspoons of fat in the ban. Add about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to that same pan (Don’t remove the fat there. You want that for flavor.) You will heat this pan until it is almost smoking hot. You will be cooking the scallops in this pan.
- Remove the scallops from the refrigerator and dry them off again. Add in a single layer to the screaming hot pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sizzle UNDISTURBED for about 3 minutes. This will get you that beautiful brown crust that you are looking for. Turn them over and cook for 1-1 ½ minutes more. Meanwhile, add the cut tomatoes to the corn puree and stir to heat through.
- Place half the corn mixture on each plate. Top each with four perfectly cooked scallops, a sprinkling of chopped chives and about a tablespoon of the crispy, cooked sausage or bacon. Enjoy.
