Seared Scallops with Crème d'Échalotes
Make golden seared scallops over a silky French shallot cream sauce with white wine, tarragon, pepper, cream, and cold butter.
🍽 4 servings
⏱ Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook: 20 min
⏰ Total: 35 min
📊 Medium
Ingredients
- 150 ml Dry white wine
- 50 g Shallots, finely sliced
- 1 g Fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 0.5 tsp Crushed black pepper / mignonette
- 250 ml Heavy cream
- 125 g Cold unsalted butter, cubed
- to taste Salt
- 1 pinch Cayenne pepper
- 12 Large scallops, cleaned and dried
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter, for sautéing
- for garnish Fresh chives, chopped
- for garnish Fresh tarragon leaves
Instructions
- Keep the 125 g butter cold and cubed.
- Combine shallots, white wine, chopped tarragon, and crushed pepper in a saucepan. Simmer approximately 4–5 minutes until almost dry.
- Add cream. Simmer gently another approximately 8–10 minutes until somewhat thickened.
- Reduce heat to low. Whisk in cold butter gradually, a few cubes at a time, until emulsified. Do not aggressively boil after butter incorporation.
- Remove from heat. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Add cayenne. Adjust salt.
- Dry scallops very thoroughly.
- Heat a sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add sautéing butter.
- Sear scallops approximately 2 minutes on each side until golden outside and just cooked through. Avoid prolonged cooking.
- Spoon warm sauce onto plates. Arrange scallops on top. Garnish with chives, tarragon, and optional citrus julienne.
Nutrition
350 cal/serving
12g protein
4g carbs
30g fat
Chef's Notes
White wine is part of the recipe. Do not claim all alcohol necessarily disappears. Do not purchase alcohol through Amazon.