Scallops With Winter Greens and Citrus
As Spring finally begins to show signs of arrival this light, delicious recipe with prized Maine scallops will not only wake up your spirit but awaken your taste buds. The scallops, seared to golden brown grace a platter of freshly dressed salad greens studded with tangy citrus segments adding a jewel-like glow to a gorgeous combination of flavors.
This recipe from The Lost Kitchen, is not only a cookbook by Erin French but the name of her chic French country restaurant in a mill house in rural Freedom, Maine. It’s a compilation of recipes representing French’s culinary passion rooted in Maine. Her story written in a memoir, Finding Freedom, is extraordinary. it is a moving piece which illustrates the many obstacles she overcame to pursue her love of cooking. To learn more about celebrated chef Erin French and The Lost Kitchen, click here.
I have adapted this recipe with a few of my own touches --a variety of spicy winter salad greens as well as a mixture of colorful pink grapefruit and deep maroon blood oranges. A little advance prep of the greens, citrus and vinaigrette makes this dish a quick one to put together just before serving. This delicious and stunning presentation is ideal for a midweek supper or for entertaining. It serves 4-6 and is easily doubled for whatever size crowd you’re feeding.
Seared Scallops with Winter Greens and Citrus
4 good handfuls of washed and chilled mixed bitter and sweet greens—any combination which suits you: arugula, mustard, slivers of Belgian endive, little gem, tender frisee or radicchio torn into small pieces.
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 large red grapefruit, peeled with pith removed and cut into segments.
2 blood oranges, peeled with pith removed and cut into segments
Olive oil, not too grassy
Kosher salt
12 -16 plump day-boat sea scallops
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
I’ve made a check off prep list here and choose what you like to do in advance, if anything. I find it enjoyable to have these ingredients ready to go ahead of time so I don’t have a lot of last minute prep or kitchen clean up before serving.
Wash, drain and chill salad greens.
Prepare the shallot vinaigrette: peel and finely dice a medium sized shallot. Place the dice into a medium-sized bowl and cover with two tablespoons white wine champagne vinegar or rice wine vinegar. Let the mixture marinate for about 15 minutes to sweeten the shallots and bring out their pink hue. Then whisk in 4-6 tablespoons extra virgin high quality olive oil. Put the dressing aside until ready to toss the greens and assemble the salad.
Peel Citrus: Peel the rind from the grapefruit and oranges and remove all of the white pith. With a sharp paring knife, carefully cut on each side of a segment between the membranes and remove the segment. Place in a bowl, chill and reserve. (This takes a little practice. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t master getting segments in one piece. The pieces taste just as good and still add great color.)
Slice Fennel: Trim the fennel bulb fronds and core and then slice it thinly with a sharp knife or mandoline slicer. Set the fennel slices aside in a bowl of ice water and chill until ready to use.
Assembly: Place the chilled crisp greens in a large bowl and drizzle about half of the shallot dressing over them and toss well. In the bowl of remaining dressing mix in the fennel and citrus segments, coating them well. Put the dressed greens on a serving platter and place the fennel and citrus over and around the borders of the lettuce mound. Reserve any leftover dressing or juice for drizzling over the seared scallops.
Sear Scallops: Place scallops on a large plate and pat dry with a paper towel and then lightly sprinkle with salt. Heat a large shallow heavy duty skillet (cast iron is ideal) on medium high and add the butter. As the butter melts and begins to barely sizzle add the scallops one by one leaving plenty of space between each one. Sear the scallops until golden brown and then flip them over to finish for about a half minute. Remove the pan from the heat and arrange the scallops on the platter with the lettuces, citrus and fennel. Drizzle with any remaining citrus juice or dressing and garnish with the delicate sprigs of the fennel bulb if desired.
Serve immediately!