These sage butter seared scallops are so simple, so luscious and so impressive, especially when served with a creamy brie basmati rice with a roasted garlic, red onion whisky sauce!
Pick your chin up off the floor… let’s blow your dinner guest’s minds!
I love outdoor cocktail parties and BBQs in the Summer, then cozy, rich dinner parties when the weather gets cooler… and even though Fall is almost a whole month away, I’m starting to dream up my Autumn dinner party menus!
I love a meal like this for Fall because (it’s stupid delicious, for starters, and) I can serve a cozy, thick butternut squash soup with it as a first course and guests feel perfectly full after they’ve had their scallops, with just enough room for dessert.
I also love it because the rice can be made before guests arrive and simply reheated right before dinner – then I can just toss the scallops in a pan for 6 minutes and they’re done!
No fussing around the kitchen while my guests enjoy their pre-dinner cocktails! I can enjoy my cocktail with them!
How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step
First, preheat your oven to 400 F. and follow the directions on your rice to create 2 servings. Set it to simmer while you prepare your other ingredients.
If you want to make more than 2 servings, simply hover your mouse over the “servings” in my recipe at the bottom of this page, and increase the number to the amount of guests you expect.
1. Remove the papery outer layer of 1 large head of garlic and chop off the tips of the cloves. It’s OK if some of them break off the head, you’ll simply pop them in the foil when you’re ready to roast the garlic.
2. Wrap your garlic in tin foil and drizzle it with a little olive oil. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and close the foil around it. Place it in the oven for 40-50 minutes. After 40 minutes, check it to see if the cloves are soft like butter. If they’re not, pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until it’s soft.
3. While your garlic roasts and your rice simmers, chop a medium onion. You don’t have to chop it in any particular way since you’ll be pureeing it with the garlic when it’s done.
4. Add 2 tbsp. of butter to a frying pan and cook onions until they’re a dark brown. Don’t burn them, but really let them brown. Remove them from the pan and set them aside, making sure to save all the butter you can from the pan.
5. Peel the rind away from your Brie until you have 2 tbsp. worth of soft cheese. You’ll be adding this to your rice.
6. Finely chop parsley until you have 2 tbsp. Set aside.
NOTE: If your rice is done, remove from the simmer and add 2 tbsp. of brie. Mix until your rice is nice and creamy. Place a top on your rice to keep it warm.
7. Remove your garlic from the oven if it’s been in for 40-50 minutes.
8. If the garlic is soft like butter, squeeze the garlic out of its casings into a food processor and add your cooked red onions (with any butter that was in the pan). Add a tbsp. of whisky, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and puree until smooth.
9. It’s OK if there are still bits of un-blended onion in the sauce.
10. Mix 2 tbsp. of your roasted garlic sauce into your creamy brie rice. Add salt and pepper to taste (and even more roasted garlic sauce if it could use more).
11. Mix in your finely chopped parsley and cover.
12. Make your sage butter. Simply melt a tbsp. of butter in a saucepan (or the microwave) and add ⅛ of a tsp. of sage spice to the butter. Give it a nice stir and set it beside the oven.
NOTE: If you’re using the same pan that you cooked your onions in to cook your scallops, you may want to wash the pan before cooking the scallops.
The butter that’s still left from the onions might start to smoke when the pan gets very hot. If the pan gets smoky, it won’t negatively effect the searing of your scallops, but it might set off your smoke detectors 😉
13. Slice a lemon and set it with your scallops next to the oven. Place your large skillet on the oven and turn the heat to HIGH.
14. When the pan is very hot (about 10-30 seconds) pour your sage butter into the center of the pan and quickly place the scallops in the butter, making sure there is at least an inch of space between them.
15. Cook the scallops for only 2-3 minutes on each side. Let one side cook, then flip.
16. Check to make sure both sides are perfectly seared, then give them a nice spritz with lemon. Turn off the heat and let them sizzle in the juice.
While they sizzle, reheat your rice for about a minute or two. It may still be perfectly hot. Add your rice to your plate, place your gorgeous scallops on top and serve! Aren’t they lovely?!
Common Questions
Scallops can be served raw safely, so you don’t have to worry about transferable parasites if they’re “undercooked” but I personally like when they’re not too raw in the center, so I cook mine for 3 minutes on each side.
If you prefer them to be a little more “rare”, you can cook them for 2 minutes on each side and still get a nice sear if your pan is very hot.
YES! They sure are! They’re more than 80% protein and low in calories. They’re a great source of potassium and magnesium, they’re good for your heart and lower cholesterol.
Yes, Just make sure that they’re thawed all the way through before cooking them.
You will be if you use it in your roasted garlic sauce 😉 but you can also substitute a dry white wine for a more mild flavor.
Help Yourself to a Few More Seafood Recipes
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Sage Butter Seared Scallops with Creamy Brie & Roasted Garlic Basmati
Ingredients
- 6 large sea scallops
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 large garlic head
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 1 medium red onion – chopped
- 3 tbsp. salted butter
- 2 tbsp. brie – without rind
- 2 tbsp. parsley – finely chopped
- 1 tbsp. whisky
- ⅛ tsp. sage spice
- ½ lemon – to squeeze on scallops
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 F. and follow the directions on your rice to create 2 servings. Set it to simmer while you prepare your other ingredients. Remove the papery outer layer of your garlic and chop off the tips of the cloves. It’s OK if some of them break off the head, you’ll simply pop them in the foil when you’re ready to roast the garlic.
- Wrap your garlic in tin foil and drizzle it with a little olive oil. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and close the foil around it. Place it in the oven for 40-50 minutes. After 40 minutes, check it to see if the cloves are soft like butter. If they’re not, pop it back in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until it's soft.
- While your garlic roasts and your rice simmers, chop a medium onion. Add 2 tbsp. of butter to a frying pan and cook onions until they’re a dark brown. Don’t burn them, but really let them brown. Remove them from the pan and set them aside, making sure to save all the butter you can from the pan.
- Peel the rind away from your Brie until you have 2 tbsp. worth of soft cheese. You’ll be adding this to your rice.
- Finely chop parsley until you have 2 tbsp. Set aside.NOTE: If your rice is done, remove from the simmer and add 2 tbsp. of brie. Mix until your rice is nice and creamy. Place a top on your rice to keep it warm.
- If your rice is done, remove from the simmer and add 2 tbsp. of brie. Mix until your rice is nice and creamy. Place a top on your rice to keep it warm.
- Remove your garlic from the oven if it’s been in for 40-50 minutes. If the garlic is soft like butter, squeeze the garlic out of its casings into a food processor and add your cooked red onions (with any butter that was in the pan). Add 1 tbsp. of whisky, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and puree until smooth. It’s OK if there are still bits of un-blended onion in the sauce.
- Mix 2 tbsp. of your roasted garlic sauce into your creamy brie rice. Add salt and pepper to taste (and even more roasted garlic sauce if it could use more).
- Mix in your finely chopped parsley and cover.
- Make your sage butter. Simply melt 1 tbsp. of butter in a saucepan (or the microwave) and add ⅛ of a tsp. of sage spice to the butter. Give it a nice stir and set it beside the oven.
- Slice a lemon and set it with your scallops next to the oven. Place your large skillet on the oven and turn the heat to high.
- When the pan is very hot (about 10-30 seconds) pour your sage butter into the center of the pan and quickly place the scallops in the butter, making sure there is at least an inch of space between them. Cook the scallops for only 2-3 minutes on each side. Let one side cook, then flip.
- Check to make sure both sides are perfectly seared, then give them a nice spritz with lemon. Turn off the heat and let them sizzle in the juice.
- While they sizzle, reheat your rice for about a minute or two. It may still be perfectly hot. Add your rice to your plate, place your gorgeous scallops on top and serve!
ปั้มไลค์
Like!! Thank you for publishing this awesome article.