Scallops with Sorrel Butter

Name: Scallops with Sorrel Butter
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: Serves 2-4

This lively recipe comes from Melissa Clark's weekly A Good Appetite column in The New York Times. As Melissa says, “Sorrel is a wonderfully pungent, tart spring green that takes well to rich and sweet ingredients. Here, it's melted into a garlicky, buttery pan sauce and served with seared scallops. One thing to note: as sorrel cooks, it dims from bright green to olive drab in color. But a garnish of chives – with the chive blossoms if you can get them – will perk things up considerably. If you can't find sorrel, you can make this dish with watercress or spinach, though you may need to add a squirt of lemon juice at the end to balance the flavors.”

Scallops with Sorrel Butter

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound Vital Choice wild Alaskan weathervane scallops (about 6 large ones)
Kosher salt and black pepper, as needed
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon dry white vermouth or white wine
4 ounces sorrel (about 3 cups loosely packed), stems removed
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.
Season scallops with salt and pepper; place in pan in a single layer. Cook without moving until bottoms are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not turn. Transfer scallops to a plate.
Return pan to medium heat. Add garlic and cook 10 seconds. Stir in vermouth and scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan.
Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the sorrel; season lightly with salt and pepper.
Return scallops to pan, seared side up. Continue cooking until sorrel is a dark olive green and falling apart and scallops are just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle in chives and serve.

Serves: Serves 2-4