Seared Basil Scallops with Courgette Ribbons

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Seared Basil Scallops with Courgette Ribbons

Scallops with Courgette Ribbons is a delicious and simple recipe of scallops pan fried in basil oil with a light warm salad of marinated courgette. Sweet juicy scallops cooked to perfect with a light citrusy crunchy courgette is a delectable and quick recipe.

I love scallops! I can have them in any shape or form and would often pick it from any menu when we are dining out. Sweet, succulent and just ultimate sea food treat. Scallops are referred as the ‘candy of the sea’ due to their sweet buttery, and absolutely divine taste.

Searing scallops might seem intimidating, but it’s insanely easy to do at home. This recipe is super simple and easy to prepare. I would highly recommend keeping all the ingredients ready as it takes only a few minutes of cooking. I like to marinate the courgettes for few minutes as it slightly softens them and also adds flavour to the vegetable.

Basil Scallops with Courgette Ribbons is a quick and easy recipe that can be enjoyed as a starter for those special occasions when you need something extra decadent.
Other recipes you might enjoy for those special occasions are Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Singaporean Prawn Laksa, Pan Fried Scallops with Samphire and Hazelnut Butter, Paneer Firecracker Rolls, Amritsari Fish, Thai Cod in Pandan Leaves to name a few.

Ingredients

8 scallops removed from their shells and cleaned
1 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
¼ teaspoon lime zest
½ chilli flakes
Salt to taste
¼ black pepper powder
2 tablespoons shredded basil

Courgette Salad
1 courgette
1 teaspoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon grated garlic
Salt to taste
1/8 black pepper powder
1 teaspoon olive oil

Directions

Step-1

Mix the butter, lime zest, red chilli flakes, salt, pepper and basil together.
Shave the courgettes into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Add the lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil and leave to marinate for 5-10 minutes.

Step-2

Heat a pan and toss the marinated courgette for 1-2 minutes to slightly warm them through. (Remember we are not softening them but just warming them through and cooking the raw garlic off). Put the warmed courgette ribbons on serving dish or scallop shells.

Step-3

Melt the flavoured butter in a pan on high heat and add the scallops (always pat the scallops before frying them for a nice crust). Cook, undisturbed, until bottom has developed a golden crust, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on other side, 1-2 minutes more, then scoop out the scallops and transfer them on top of the courgette ribbons. Allow the butter left in the pan to brown slightly (don’t let it burn), then drizzle over the scallops.

Serve hot!

Tips & Variations

Remove the side muscle. Though they’re completely edible, they’re chewy and unpleasant in texture. To remove it, simply pinch and peel it off with your hands.
The butter needs to be hot when you add the scallops to give a golden crust. It is hot enough when the butter is shimmering, and it is just starting to smoke.
Cook scallops just until they are opaque; otherwise, they can get tough quickly. If scallops are opaque, they are done. An overcooked scallop has a very chewy texture. That is because the proteins have cooked to the point that they squeeze out all the moisture. And there is no extra fat present in a scallop to help to mask the fact that they are overcooked.
To get a nice crust, the scallops must be as dry as possible. Otherwise, they’ll steam in the hot butter. Even if they look pretty dry already, blot them with a paper towel.
If you want instead of courgette, you can use cucumber too for freshness.