Sydney of The Bear's Perfect Scallops Recipe
Prep Time:
40 minutes
Cook Time:
7 minutes
Servings:
4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup basil leaves
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 teaspoon orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
  • ½ teaspoon ginger paste
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic paste
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 16 green beans
  • 12 medium-large (1 ounce) scallops
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
Directions
  1. Bring a saucepan of water to a simmer and add the basil leaves.
  2. Simmer the basil for around 20-30 seconds, then remove it to an ice bath for 30-60 seconds.
  3. Spread the basil between two paper towels and gently press to remove as much water as possible.
  4. Place the basil in a food processor or blender along with the olive oil and salt, and puree.
  5. Pour the oil mixture into a coffee filter and allow it to slowly strain out the particulate.
  6. Once strained, pour the basil oil into a squeeze bottle.
  7. Next, start the compound butter by adding the butter, orange juice, orange zest, ginger paste, garlic paste, and salt to a food processor.
  8. Puree until smooth and evenly mixed.
  9. Melt the butter and transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add the cream and whip until well-combined and smooth.
  10. Quickly poach the green beans for around 3 minutes, so that they are cooked but still crunchy, and then cool them in the ice bath and dry them.
  11. Gently pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and then season the tops with half of the salt.
  12. Bring a heavy-bottomed skillet to medium-high heat, add the oil, and then place the scallops in the pan, salted side down.
  13. Sear the scallops for 2 minutes on this side, then salt the tops, flip them over, and cook for around 30 seconds on the other side.
  14. Remove the scallops to a plate to rest for 2-3 minutes
  15. Place three scallops on each plate and carefully arrange the green beans between them. You can trim the green beans if they don't fit nicely.
  16. Squirt plenty of basil oil over the beans in the center, then top with a good scoop of compound butter. Finish with a small squeeze of basil oil on the compound butter for color, and serve immediately.