Seared Sea Scallops with Cucumber-Fennel Salad and Fennel Seed Vinaigrette
Seared Sea Scallops with Cucumber-Fennel Salad and Fennel Seed Vinaigrette is a gluten free, dairy free, and pescatarian recipe with 6 servings. One serving contains 306 calories, 5g of protein, and 28g of fat. This recipe covers 8% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. 1 person found this recipe to be scrumptious and satisfying. If you have olive oil, cucumber, fennel seeds, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 45 minutes.
Instructions
Peel cucumber; cut in half lengthwise, seed, and thinly slice.
Trim and discard fennel bulb base. Trim stalks from bulb, discarding hard outside stalk.
Cut bulb in half lengthwise, and cut crosswise into thin slices.
Stir together fennel, cucumber, 2 tablespoons shallots, 1/2 tablespoon garlic, chives, 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar, olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Place a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add fennel seeds, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 1/2 minutes or until toasted. (Be careful not to burn seeds; they will become bitter.)
Remove from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Process seeds in a blender until ground; return to pan. Stir in 1/2 cup grapeseed oil.
Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.
Whisk together fennel-infused oil, remaining tablespoon shallots, remaining 1/2 tablespoon garlic, remaining 1/4 cup vinegar, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and orange juice; set aside.
Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in skillet over high heat until very hot.
Add scallops, and cook 2 minutes. Turn, and cook 1 minute.
Arrange salad on individual plates; top each with a scallop.
Whisk vinaigrette, and drizzle over salads.
Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.
Recommended wine: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir
Scallops works really well with Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Chardonnay and chenin blanc are great matches for grilled or seared scallops. If your scallops are being matched with bacon or other cured meats, try a lightly chilled pinot noir. The Hahn Winery Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay with a 4.1 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 17 dollars per bottle.
Hahn Winery Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay
Rich and layered, with silky notes of peach, nectarine, ripe pear and vanilla.