Thursday, February 28, 2013

Scallops in Blood Orange Sauce









They're still out there folks -- blood oranges that is. I don't know for how much longer though, so try this before the season is gone. It's so quick and easy to make but tastes like something you'd pay a lot of money for in a fancy restaurant. 


You can use regular oranges if you like, but of course you won't get that striking red color that contrasts so beautifully against the scallops. This dish comes together in minutes, so make sure you have all the ingredients ready from the get-go. The sauce is really a gastrique - a fancy name for when you blend sugar or honey with vinegar and other flavorings and let it reduce. 


I liked it so much, I made it twice in the same week. Try it and swoosh the scallops around in the sauce for a delicious flavor combo that's good enough for company but easy enough for a weeknight meal.












Scallops in Blood Orange Sauce






 six large scallops (these were so big that two were enough for one serving)


enough olive oil to coat the pan


salt, pepper to taste


juice of two blood oranges


2 T. butter


2 tsp. honey


2 T. white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar


grated rind from one orange





Make the sauce simultaneously while cooking the scallops, or make it a few minutes ahead of time. This sauce is what's called a gastrique - when you mix honey or sugar with vinegar and other flavorings and let it reduce. Start by straining the juice from two blood oranges and putting it in a saucepan. Add the butter, honey and vinegar and reduce until syrupy. It should take no longer than five minutes if the flame is on high heat. Set it aside or keep it on a low flame while the scallops finish cooking.





To achieve a nice color on the scallops, it's important to get your skillet really hot before starting. Use a really sturdy stainless steel pan or cast iron skillet. Crank up the heat and let it get really hot. Then add a small amount of olive oil to coat. Place the scallops in the pan and let them sizzle. Don't peek underneath. Just leave them alone for a couple of minutes and resist the temptation to lower the heat. The first side will brown in about two to three minutes if your heat was high enough. Flip them over and do the same thing on the other side. They should need no more than five minutes total to cook. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Remove to a warm plate and cover if you're still working on the sauce. If the sauce is ready, place the scallops on a serving plate and pour the sauce around them. Garnish with grated orange rind.




Bookmark and Share

18 comments:

  1. A marvelous combination! I'd love to try that.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stupende! Adoro i frutti di mare e l'accostamento con l'arancia è spettacolare! Complimenti di cuore.. un abbraccio e dolce giovedì! :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ma che splendida ricetta Linda!!!! Profumatissima ed elegante. Grazie ed un bacione!
    Dani

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sweet honey is the perfect partner to the tartness of blood oranges...and the scallops certainly benefited from your creativity in the kitchen. Well done. I shall try it sometime soon...especially since scallops are among my favourite seafood morsels ;o)

    Flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

    ReplyDelete
  5. una ricetta di gran classe, comlimenti linda. Buon pomeriggio Daniela.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Blood orange sauce sounds really tempting. I must try this Linda. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The sweetness of the scallops and the orange flavour combination would be striking.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think I could just drink this sauce. Oh my - the combination is beautiful. The cats are looking longingly at the scallops. Must do.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Those scallops are golden seared perfection. I loooooooove scallops. Pairing it with the citrus of blood oranges is a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh heaven help me I want this!
    It looks beautiful Linda and I love your photo!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm always looking for new ways to cook scallops because my husband loves them. Great sauce!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Perfectly seared scallops are the main event here. The blood orange sauce is the cherry on top!

    ReplyDelete
  13. wonderful combination and great taste! :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a beautiful dish! I love any type of scallops.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your scallops look delicious and I'm sure they were. I just bought blood oranges the other day.

    ReplyDelete
  16. adoro le capesante e con l'arancia devono essere favolose! Un abbraccio e buona domenica!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Absolutely gorgeous! I love blood oranges and I love scallops. The two together must be heaven.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Your sauce sounds like liquid sunshine, Linda! I love scallops, and I'm sure this sauce would also taste good on salmon.

    ReplyDelete