Scallops with White Wine Sauce
Try this recipe for scallops in a rich and flavorful white wine sauce.
Try this recipe for scallops in a rich and flavorful white wine sauce.
- Carbohydrate 3.87208000262923 g
- Cholesterol 447.552500570268 mg
- Fat 163.489775205452 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 2.92716500340681 g
- Saturated Fat 101.625780129095 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (377g)
- Sodium 1081.31707419869 mg
- Sugar 3.87208000262923 g
- Trans Fat 10.8964500138031 g
- Calories 1497 calories
Step-by-step
- In a medium saucepan, combine white wine, wine vinegar, and shallots. Cook until liquid is almost evaporated, approximately 1 tablespoon left. Stir in heavy cream and let boil down until reduced by half. Stir in butter 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each to melt before adding the next. Keep warm while preparing the scallops.
- Preheat oven on broiler setting.
- Brush scallops with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place under preheated broiler for 2 minutes on each side, until scallops are opaque, with a bit of brown around the edges. Place a spoonful of sauce on each plate, and top with 4 scallops.
Home cooks frequently make the error of cooking seafood before preparing the accompanying pan sauce, leaving delicate proteins to cool while liquids reduce. Organizing a small workspace requires reversing this order. Build the reduction of white wine, vinegar, and shallots first in a medium saucepan, letting the acid cook down until roughly one tablespoon remains before introducing the heavy cream. That reduction needs to boil down by half before the crucial butter-mounting phase begins. Incorporating cold butter one tablespoon at a time builds an emulsion without breaking the sauce. Whisking continuously ensures the fats incorporate smoothly into the dairy base, and keeping the finished sauce warm over very low heat prevents separation while the seafood cooks.
Sea scallops demand aggressive dry heat and strict timing. Brushing the mollusks with olive oil promotes browning under a preheated broiler set to high. Position the baking sheet close to the heating element so the surface achieves opacity and light caramelization within exactly two minutes per side. Overcooking transforms these tender muscles into a rubbery texture, so remove them promptly when the edges turn golden brown. Spoon the warm reduction onto plates before plating four scallops per portion.
Preparing this dish in modest quantities rarely leaves extra portions behind, but cooked seafood loses moisture rapidly if saved. Storing leftover sauce separately from the scallops allows for gentle reheating without splitting the butter emulsion. Consume any stored components within twenty-four hours for food safety, though freshly made sauce cannot be authentically replicated once chilled and reheated.
