So, here's the deal: Scallops are the real chicken of the sea. As in, when you sear them, they actually kind of taste like chicken. I said kind of. Anyway, they are crazy easy (and fast) to cook, making them a weeknight stunner.
The best thing: The only thing you need to do to them to make them really SING is season them with salt and pepper and sear them in a hot skillet. THAT'S IT.
To make them EVEN BETTER, serve them nestled in a bed of spicy, lemony arugula and herbs.
Here's what you'll need:
1. Start by slicing the chives into ½-inch pieces.
Keeping your bundle of chives tied together with a rubber band makes them *much easier* to slice.
2. Then pick the thick stems off of the parsley, tarragon, and dill, leaving only the nice leaves and tender stems.
Not into dill or tarragon? Double up on the parsley.
3. Place the arugula in a large bowl and add all the herbs. Set this aside while you make the scallops.
So now comes the searing-scallops part. Scallops are one of the easiest kinds of seafood to cook, which means that you all should be cooking more scallops.
4. All scallops have a little muscle thing attached to them — this is what they use to attach themselves to their ~shell~, which is cool. It doesn't taste bad, but it can be a little tough, which is why you should remove it.
It literally just peels off like a Post-it Note.
5. Next, pat them dry between two sheets of paper towels. This will help them get SUPER-AWESOMELY BROWNED when you sear them, which is 100% what you want.
6. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While you wait for the oil to get hot, season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.
7. Place the scallops in the skillet, spacing them evenly apart.
8. Let them sear on one side until they're nicely golden brown, about 2–3 minutes. Using a spatula, check the ones on the edges first (they'll cook the fastest), then carefully flip them all to sear the other side.
9. Once they have cooked on the other side another 2–3 minutes, remove the scallops from the skillet and transfer them to a large plate.
10. Okay, back to the salad part. Season the arugula/herb salad with about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. That's about ½ a lemon's worth: You can just squeeze a ½ lemon over, using your fingers as ~seed catchers~. Then add some salt and pepper.
11. Then add olive oil and toss everything together.
12. Place some of the scallops on a large serving platter and scatter the salad over. Top with more scallops, and BOOM, you just made a really impressive salad.
HEART EYES EMOJI
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Seared Scallops With Herbs Salad
By Alison Roman
Serves 8
2 cups mixed tender herbs, like parsley, dill, and tarragon
4 cups loosely packed arugula
½ cup coarsely chopped chives
1½ pounds scallops
Kosher salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Remove the largest, tough stems from the parsley, dill, and tarragon (the tiny tender stems are fine to use). Place the herbs in a large bowl and add the arugula and chives.
Pat the scallops dry between two sheets of paper towels and season them with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Place scallops in the hot skillet, flat side down. Let them cook until they are really golden brown on one side, 2–3 minutes. Carefully flip them to brown on the other side, another 2–3 minutes. Transfer them to a large serving plate or platter and set aside.
Toss the greens with lemon juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place some of the scallops on a large serving platter and scatter the salad over. Top with more scallops and serve.