Seared Sea Scallops and Cauliflower Purée a Recipe
Ashley Tinker · Fish & Seafood · Main Course · Provencal Recipes · TasteCompleting a DIY home renovation in Provence is not necessarily for every couple. Ashley and Robin made their house transformation look easy. Now, with some time on their hands, they can enjoy their kitchen and entertain friends. This recipe for seared sea scallops on a cauliflower purée could be served in a gourmet restaurant. Ashley admits she can only take credit for the photo (after all she is the photographer in the family), but the preparation was by chef Robin. Follow this link to the original post.
Recipes with Scallops
Butternut Squash Soup with Roast Scallops from Jane’s kitchen at Mas d’Augustine
Seared Scallops (St. Jacques) with Creamy Curried Leeks from David at Cocoa&Lavender
Roasted Scallops on Polenta Mash by Mirabeau Wine
Seared Sea Scallops and Cauliflower Purée
Scallops are easy to cook, once you know how. This recipe with a cauliflower purée is light and flavourful. This is a recipe from Robin's repertoire. I take no credit! This recipe is simple, looks stunning and it's delicious. A great way to impress dinner guests.
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower broken into small pieces
- 1 litre milk semi-skimmed or whole
- 12 scallops the best quality and as dry as possible
- 4 strips bacon or lardons
- 3 sprigs parsley chopped finely for serving
- salt and pepper
- butter for frying
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F and place the bacon on a tray lined with baking parchment.
- Bake for about 15 minutes until very crispy. If your bacon is quite fatty, you may need to drain the fat halfway through. Reserve on kitchen paper towel.
- Place the cauliflower into a saucepan with enough milk to just cover it.
- Bring the milk to a boil and simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Leave to cool.
- Purée the mixture until smooth. Sieve for extra smoothness.
- Place back into the saucepan to reheat.
- Season liberally with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper. This is the key to allow them to become crispy.
- Place a frying pan on medium-high heat and add a generous tablespoon of butter.
- Allow the butter to melt and the pan to get hot.
- Fry the scallops for 1-2 minutes on each side depending on the size. The scallops above are quite large so they were 2 minutes each side. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your frying pan.
- Season the scallops with salt and pepper while in the pan.
- Squeeze the bacon in the paper towel into create little bits.
- Chop the parsley.
- Dish out the reheated cauliflower purée to just cover the bottom of your plate. Next, place the scallops on the plate with the garnish. It helps if you have an extra pair of hands to assist with this step.
- Drizzle with good quality olive oil and serve with crisp white wine.
Notes
This recipe serves 4, with 3 scallops per person.The scallops should be served HOT so make sure you have your garnishes (bacon and parsley) ready.The scallops should be cooked but remain a bit translucent in the middle after frying, the way a restaurant would serve them. Overcooked scallops are rubbery.For some extra spice, use pan-fried crispy chorizo instead of bacon.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Private Baux de Provence & Saint Remy de Provence Wine Tour from Marseille
Create your perfect private wine tour in Provence, tailored to your preferences (half-day or full-day). Whether you want to combine wine tasting with stunning landscapes, charming villages, or cultural exploration, we’ll design an itinerary just for you.
Book this ExperienceLegal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Related Provence Articles
Octopus in Tomato Sauce La Poulpe à la Niçoise
May 12, 2023
Among Nice’s many attractions are its Mediterranean location and the fresh seafood. Octopus (la pouple) is one ingredient that often features in Niçoise dishes. La pouple à la Niçoise was a favourite of the local fisherman mentioned by Tobias Smollett in 1762. However, the recipe has likely evolved since that time to more refined versions. …
Seared Scallops Coquilles Saint-Jacques and Caramelized Endives
October 10, 2018
This seafood dish so bright and flavourful that I call it sunshine on a plate (see post for step-by-step photos). Seared scallops are coquilles Saint-Jacques in French. They are not hard to cook, but there are a few culinary keys to achieving a crispy result. Try to find fresh scallops as frozen does not work …
Try the Delicious Spanish Version of Coquilles Saint-Jacques
February 8, 2023
As is the case with many of you, we take travel seriously. Last fall, we travelled to Southern Spain—Andalucia for the first time, and thus my culinary inspiration for these delicious Coquilles Saint-Jacques with a Spanish flair – Vieiras de Santiago. Once we know where we are going, the prep work begins. Markipedia and I …
Razor Clams à la Provencale an Easy Appetizer
September 15, 2022
Razor clams, found on sheltered ocean shores, most often during low tide, have long been a popular and easily foraged delicacy. You can usually see them with the naked eye, but if you toss some salt on the water above their burrows, you can watch the little white clams wiggle their way to the surface. …
3 Comments
Thanks, Ashley! I look forward to trying this soon. Scallops and cauliflower are two of our favorites!
Thanks, David. Just like yours, Ashely’s photos make me want to make the recipes!
Bon Appetit!