
Fiery Dusted Scallops With a Potato Scallion Cake and Saffron Corn Cream
Fiery Dusted Scallops With a Potato Scallion Cake and Saffron Corn Cream
Saffron Corn Cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots, finely diced
- 8 ears fresh corn, husked and shucked
- 1 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 cup heavy cream
Directions
Sweat shallots in 3 tablespoons butter until soft and translucent. Add corn and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add saffron and cream. Simmer for 4 minutes until saffron has released its aroma and color. Season with salt and pepper. Place corn mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Finish with a tablespoon of butter. Keep warm until service.
Potato-Scallion Pancakes
- 1 pound russet potatoes
- 1 bunch scallions
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1⁄2 tablespoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter for frying
Wash potatoes but do not peel. Grate potatoes in a food processor. Soak in water to remove starch. Drain thoroughly and toss in a large bowl with chopped scallions, eggs and salt and pepper. Form potato mixture into pancakes. Coat bottom of pan with clarified butter and drop pancakes. Sauté until golden brown on each side, about 6 minutes per side. Keep warm in oven until service.
Fiery Dusted Scallops
- 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops
- 1 teaspoon smoked sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons tomato powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into long, thin strips
Combine dry spices and brush lightly onto scallops. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat. Brush pan with butter and sear scallops, 3 minutes on each side, until caramelized and firm to touch. To serve, place sauce on plate; lay a potato pancake on top. Arrange scallops on top of pancake and garnish with chopped tomatoes and basil.
Chef Laura Rogers, NOAA chef, 2006 Great American Seafood Cookoff

Sea Scallops with Horseradish and Red Pepper Sauce
Sea Scallops with Horseradish and Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound fresh sea scallops
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ tablespoons horseradish
- Pinch of white pepper
- Pinch of chopped parsley
- ½ cup heavy cream
Directions
Rub pepper lightly with oil and roast in 400 degree oven until almost black. Place in a plastic bag to sweat, then clean skin away and remove seeds. Puree in a food processor and set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sear scallops on each side for about 1½ minutes. Remove scallops and set aside.
- Brown garlic in a little butter. Add lemon juice, wine and mustard and stir well. Add horseradish, pepper and parsley. Slowly add cream and red pepper puree and stir well. Lower heat and reduce to desired thickness.
- Place scallops on plate and lace the sauce around the scallops. Additional serving suggestion: Serve scallops over a bed of fresh sautéed spinach.
Mark Kimmel, AAC
Culinary Arts Instructor, Chesterfield Technical Center
Richmond, VA
Recipe from “Chefs’ Seafood Symposium” archives, courtesy of Virginia Sea Grant

Seafood Panzanella Salad
Seafood Panzanella Salad
Ingredients
- 8 littleneck clams, rinsed of sand
- 4 large sea scallops, muscle removed
- 3 ounces calamari (squid) rings
- 3 ounces monkfish, skinned and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 cup large diced tomato
- 1/2 cup julienned cucumber
- 1/4 fennel bulb, julienned; reserve a few fronds for garnish
- 4 basil leaves chiffonade; plus a couple of whole leaves for garnish
- 1 scallion cut lengthwise into thin slices; reserve the green top for garnish
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 large baguette
Directions
Remove crust from the bread. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Lightly toast bread in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven and set aside. You’ll need about 1/2 cup of toasted bread cubes for the recipe. Heat a large saute pan. Add olive oil. Season scallops and monkfish with salt and pepper. Sear until browned on the outside, remove from oil and set aside. Add garlic and brown slightly. Add calamari and toss quickly. Add clams and water, season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover until clams begin to open. Return scallops and monkfish to the pan. Cook covered until all clams open, about 1 minute. You may have to add more water if the clams do not open. Make sure that you have about a 1/2 cup of liquid left when the dish is finished. Put cut vegetables into a large bowl with basil. Season with salt and pepper. Add bread cubes and toss. Just before serving, toss in the hot seafood and half of the cooking liquid. Portion onto plates, garnish with scallion sprigs and fennel fronds. Pour remaining seafood broth around each plate.
Recipe credit: Chef Jim Weaver, New Jersey chef, 2004 Great American Seafood Cook-off.

Sesame Crusted Pan Seared Scallops With Asian Vinaigrette on Salad
Sesame Crusted Pan Seared Scallops With Asian Vinaigrette on Salad
Asian Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, minced
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon sake or rice wine
In a bowl add ginger, garlic, green onion, cilantro, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of canola oil, and sake. Whisk ingredients together. Set aside.
Pan Seared Scallops
- 12 large sea scallops
- 1 tablespoons canola oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- 4 cups mesclun salad mix
Season scallops with salt and pepper. Place sesame seeds on plate. Pat down top and bottom sides of each scallop in sesame seeds.
In a sauté pan, over medium-high heat, add remaining tablespoon canola oil. When oil is hot, add scallops, placing them crusted-side down. Sear for approximately 1 minute, or until sesame seeds brown. Turn and sear on other sesame-crusted side for 1 minute.
- Place on top of mesclun salad and drizzle with Asian vinaigrette dressing.
Chef Dominador Valeros, Hampton, VA
Recipe from “Chefs’ Seafood Symposium” archives, courtesy of Virginia Sea Grant
NOAA Fisheries Disclaimer for External Links
The appearance of this icon denotes a link external to the Federal Government domain. The appearance of external links on this website does not constitute endorsement by NOAA Fisheries of the websites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than government authorized activities, NOAA Fisheries does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations.