Seared Scallops with Pinot Gris Butter Sauce

Toasting Pine Nuts enhances their buttery flavor for a special finish for Seared Scallops with Pinot Butter Sauce. Elegant and easy, serve this for a special dinner for two. Or for a diner party. Your guests will think you’ve just graduated from Culinary School.

It’s not all buffalo burgers, elk steaks and Rocky Mountain oysters out here in the wild wild west..

We can plate up an elegant dinner with the best of ’em and especially if beautiful sea scallops are available.

We thought this dish was spectacular. Restaurant quality, elegant and (shhhh)…pretty e-a-s-y. Serve this for a special dinner for two, or for a dinner party and your guests will think you’ve just graduated from culinary school.

First let’s address the scallops by giving my cast iron skillet a standing ovation. A few years ago when I purchased it from the Army Surplus store down on South Broadway, I never imagined it would be my most prized kitchen tool. 

You can throw a five-pound pork roast in this thing and it tosses back a beautifully seared piece of meat in minutes and then trust it with a most delicate sea scallop and it rewards you with a perfectly crusted cube leaving the tender meat inside juicy and sumptuous. Bravo, cast iron skillet!

 There’s no other adjective I can think of to describe this sauce other than divine. The all-star lineup of ingredients including shallots, thyme, cream, butter and Pinot Gris turn this dish into a delightful experience.  Perfect for seared scallops.

Throw in some buttery toasted pine nuts for a soft crunch to compliment the slight crunch of the sear on the scallops and you’ve got an out of this world dish.

Make sure you have a slice of rustic Italian bread to get every single drop.

Cheers! This seared scallops recipe comes from Hugh Acheson (an F&W Best New Chef 2002) of Five & Ten restaurant and Gosford Wine in Athens, Georgia. 

Suggested wine was a Pinot Gris from either Oregon or California. 

A match made in heaven for scallops.

Pro Tip: Always choose good quality scallops. Some store bought scallops are soaked in a phosphate solution which plumps them up with water with also increases the price. It’s important to look for scallops that are labeled “dry” or “dry packed”. A phosphate soaked scallop can taste soapy. A dry packed scallop will sear quicker and and beautifully.

Recipe for Seared Scallops with Pinot Gris Butter Sauce

I hope you give this Scallops with Pinot Gris Butter Sauce Recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite scallop recipe, please let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

More Scallop Recipes

If you love cooking scallops as much as we do, you won’t want to miss this recipe for Shrimp Scallop Pasta with Orange Cream Sauce

Seared Scallops with Pinot Gris Butter Sauce

Lea Ann Brown

Elegant and Easy. Perfect scallop recipe for a special dinner.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course Seafood

Cuisine American

Servings 4

Calories 304 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium shallots minced
• 2 cups Pinot Gris
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 1 cup fish stock or chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• Salt and ground pepper
• 1 Cup baby spinach packed
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 16 large sea scallops
• 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes optional

Instructions

 

• In a dry skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat until golden, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate lightly crush the nuts.
• In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until browned, 4 minutes. Add the wine and thyme; boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 15 minutes. Add the stock and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, 9 minutes longer. Add the cream, bring to a boil and remove from the heat.
• Whisk in the butter, 4 pieces at a time, until the sauce is thickened and smooth; set the pan over low heat as necessary to help melt the butter. Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, toss the spinach with the lemon juice and the remaining olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned but barely cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Place a helping of spinach on a plate and top with cooked scallops. Garnish with the pine nuts and pepper flakes. Spoon the sauce on top and serve.

Keyword seared scallops

Seared Scallops with Pinot Gris Butter Sauce…It’s What’s for Dinner

Lea Ann Brown

Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.