seared scallops with tomato butter

Samina Ali

ingredients

1/2 pound cherry or grape tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallots
up to 2 pounds sea scallops (I used a little more than 1/2 a pound for two persons, or about 6 scallops each.)
Salt
Red wine vinegar (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil (I seared the scallops in butter instead because they were going to end up in butter, and I felt I would get a better sear).

directions

1
Quarter tomatoes and combine in a bowl with the tarragon.
2
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until they soften and become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove butter from heat and let cool 2-3 minutes.
3
Prepare scallops by removing the small, tough “foot” muscle attached to one side. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. (It’s very important to have them dry before you attempt a sear.)
4
Pour butter over tomatoes and stir gently to combine. It should be hot enough to soften the tomatoes but not so hot as to cook them through. Season with salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon) (I used kosher salt and used 1 teaspoon). If the tomatoes lack acidity, add a few drops of red wine vinegar. (I really wish I had done this--I overlooked this step but think it would have brightened up the sauce and made it perfect).
5
Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat. Add the oil and heat until it is smoking. (I used a regular stainless steel pan and butter). Place the scallops in the pan and cook until they are browned and crusty on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn the scallops over and brown on the other side, about another 3 minutes. They should be slightly translucent in the center. (My scallops weren’t the huge diver-size ones I think he means, so I only cooked them 1-2 minutes each side--just long enough for them to be brown on each side. I put the larger ones in the pan first and took them out last.)
6
Plate scallops and spoon tomato butter over the top.