Seared Scallops with Parmesan and Green Pea Risotto

This post closes out the first year on my blog, "what's cooking at the Bullmann's." I wanted to make something really special, but that doesn't necessarily mean really difficult. 

I chose to make Seared scallops with parmesan and green pea risotto. Scallops are so good when cooked properly, but if not they can be tough, chewy and a bad experience.

The key to a properly cooked scallop is to have your sauté pan at the correct temperature. If the heat is too high, they'll burn before they cook. If the heat is not high enough, they'll cook but won't have that beautiful golden brown color you want for the perfect presentation.

Ingredients: Scallops
4 scallops per person, size U10, 10 per pound
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Ingredients: Risotto for 2 servings
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup green peas

Preparation: Risotto

Take a 3 quart sauce pan, heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Dice the onion to no larger than 1/8 x 1/8 pieces. Crush the garlic and add the onion and garlic to the sauce pan. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.

 

Add the Arborio rice to the sauce pan and let the rice soak up some of the onion and garlic flavor. Don't do this too long or you may burn the rice, onion or garlic then you've got a burnt flavor you won't be able to get rid of.

 

Add one cup of stock at a time until the rice stop absorbing the liquid. You may need to add more or less than 4 cups of stock so adjust as necessary. The risotto should be done after about 15 minutes. Add the green peas and parmesan cheese and taste to see if you need salt and pepper.

 

Preparation: Scallops

Take a 10" sauté pan and heat to medium high. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper the scallops and add to the pan. After one minute check to see what's going on with the scallops. You want them to sautéing to a golden yellowish brown. If the heat is too high, they may start to burn, turn the heat down a little. If there is no color to the scallop then turn the heat up a little. You want to cook about 3 minutes per side for a perfectly seared scallop.

 

To serve, place some risotto on a plate and top with some grated parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley. Place 4 scallops on top of the risotto and sprinkle a little chives on the scallops and then drizzle with a little olive oil. Bon apatite.