Seared Archives • Mushroompride

Pan Seared Scallops with XO Sauce – Delishar

If you are looking for a dish that will impress, this is the one. These big, fat, and juicy scallops topped with XO sauce makes perfect appetizers or as part of a multi-dish meal. This dish took me less than 15 minutes to put together, and it was swept of the plate even faster than I can finish plating my entrée. I have to admit that I found it hard to sneak a few scallops for myself while I was plating it.

Seared Scallops with XO sauce

There is something about XO sauce that makes one wooo and ahhh. I always think of it as the Asian style truffle, just not as pricey, it is also known as the ‘Caviar of the Orient’ . For those who do not know what XO sauce is, it is a savoury gourmet condiment made from Chinese ham, dried scallops, dried shrimp, dried squid & spices. In this dish, I’m using Lee Kum Kee’s new Seafood XO sauce, which is available in major supermarket.

The outcome of the dish is amazing, both amazingly simple to make, and amazingly delicious. The husband was talking to me during dinner, and the casually popped one of these babies into his mouth. Then he went silent, and his eyes closed as he savoured the sweetness of the caramelised scallops, the savoury goodness of the XO sauce, and then the bite of the scallions sets in. It’s almost like a party in the mouth, and I for one didn’t want the party to end.

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Pan Seared Scallops with XO Sauce

Delishar

Serves 2-3 as appetizer

6 large scallops thawed overnight in fridge if frozen
1/2 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp seafood XO sauce or regular XO sauce
1 wedge of lemon
Chopped spring onions to garnish

Pat dry scallops.
Season with salt, pepper, and curry powder on both sides.
Heat pan on medium high heat, add oil and butter.
When butter is melted, place scallops in and allow to sear for 2 minutes each side.
Place scallops on plate, spritz a little lemon juice on scallops.
Add a dollop of XO sauce on each scallop and garnish with spring onions.
Serve immediately.

XO scallops 3

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Browned Butter Seared Scallops with Cauli-couscous & Pumpkin Puree (Keto, Paleo, Whole 30) – Delishar

While grocery shopping, I saw some really pretty wild caught scallops that inspired this meal. I was planning to make pumpkin soup but quickly deviated from the original plan to make this ultra luscious and velvety pumpkin puree instead. So glad I did it though! I swear it was so delish and so easy to put together too! To pair, I made a low-carb version of couscous made using cauliflower and seasoned it with fresh herbs with a touch of citrus. The star of the meal is the sweet, meaty, and tender pan-seared scallops drizzled with browned butter that we can’t stop eating!

I know, I know… Keto folks will start saying that pumpkin is high in carbs. However, as with all ingredients, it’s all about the serving size. This recipe works out to be about 12g of total carbs, bearing in mind serving size. Do watch your serving size: 50g (1/4 cup) of pumpkin puree, 100g (1 cup) cauliflower couscous, and 125g scallops = Total Carbohydrates: 12.26 g, and 3.2 g Fiber. We had leftover pumpkin puree & cauliflower couscous from this recipe for me to have lunch the next day.

This recipe consists of 3 different recipes/dishes put together. The pan-seared scallops with browned butter sauce, the silky pumpkin puree, and the lemon parsley cauliflower-couscous. Feel free to deconstruct it and pair it with something else that you fancy.

The cauliflower couscous works very well as a staple on its own. Pairs beautifully with any kind of protein, especially seafood. Don’t be intimidated by the use of Xanthan Gum in this recipe. The Xanthan gum helps bind the puree together and give it a silky gooey texture. It’ll work without Xanthan as well. This is my kind of perfect low-carb meal and the colours on the plate are just visually very appealing!

Browned Butter Scallops on Cauli-couscous & Pumpkin Puree

Delishar

Pumpkin Puree

500 g pumpkin peeled and seeded (Butternut if you aren’t concern about carb count)
1/4 tsp Xanthan gum optional
Salt to taste

Lemon Parsley Cauli-Couscous

500 g Cauliflower
3 tbsp chopped italian parsley
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil

Pan Seared Scallops

500 g Wild Caught Large Scallops
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 tbsp butter for browned butter

Pumpkin Puree

Slice pumpkin into thin slices and steam over high heat for 10 minutes until soft and tender.
Drain any excess liquid and transfer to blender.
Season with salt, add Xanthan gum and blend until pureed.
Pour the puree through a sieve to remove larger lumps.
Use a spoon to push the puree through the sieve.

Lemon Parsley Cauli-Couscous

Clean cauliflower, remove stalk, and separate into florets.
Using a food processor, process florets into the size of couscous.
Heat pan on high heat with oil.
Stir-fry cauliflower until dried and slightly brown. (About 8 minutes)
Season with salt and black pepper.
Remove from heat, stir in chopped parsley, lemon juice, and 1-2 tsp lemon zest.
Save some lemon zest for garnish later.

Pan Seared Scallops

Pat dry scallops with kitchen towel.
Season generously with salt and black pepper.
In a pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil.
When oil is heated, add scallops on by one, taking care not to overcrowd the pan.
You might have to work in batches.
Allow to cook for about 2 minutes untouched. This will give the scallops a golden crust.
Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes, do not over cook it.
In another smaller clean pan, melt butter over medium heat.
Allow to cook until slightly browned and smell nutty.
Remove from heat immediately and transfer into a bowl.

Putting it together

Ladle the puree on the plate, using the back of the ladle to spread the puree in a circular motion.
My ladle is small about 1/4 cup.
Top with cauli-couscous & scallops.
Spoon browned butter over scallops.
Garnish with reserved lemon zest.

Xanthan helps bind the puree and give a more gooey texture. But this is absolutely optional.
Paleo & Whole 30: Strain the browned butter to remove milk solids. This will give you browned ghee.
Keto: Watch serving size 50g of pumpkin puree, 100g cauliflower couscous, and 125g scallops =
Total Carbohydrates: 12.26 g, 3.2 g Fiber