Bay Scallops With Scallions And Sesame Seeds

Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(46)
Comments
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This simple recipe, adapted from David Paultstich, the chef at The Mark Hotel in New York, calls for just five ingredients – the best bay scallops you can find, butter, scallions, lemon juice and toasted sesame seeds. The gentle bite of the scallions and the tang of the lemon complement the natural sweetness of shellfish while a shower of sesame seeds adds a nutty, delicate crunch. —Mark Bittman

Featured in: Winter's Vanishing Feast

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Ingredients

Yield:4 appetizer or 2 small main-course servings
  • 8tablespoons (¼ pound) butter
  • ½cup thinly sliced scallions
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 20bay scallops
  • 2tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 2 tablespoons of water to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan, lower the heat and whisk in the butter a little at a time until the mixture becomes saucy.

  2. Step 2

    Add the scallions, then lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over very low heat while cooking the scallops.

  3. Step 3

    Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the scallops; do not crowd. Cook without stirring until they brown lightly on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn and brown the other side.

  4. Step 4

    Serve the scallops drizzled with a little of the sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
46 user ratings
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Comments

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I cooked 30 bay scallops in 4 oz butter and it was still a lot of sauce. I found the scallions over powering. The sesame seeds were completely lost. Appreciate the simplicity of the recipe but it didn’t produce the results I had hoped.

Of course, fresh Nantucket bay scallops are a treasure that deserves a very simple preparation. That said, the addition of some chopped scallions and lemon juice in the butter sauce was brilliant! I used salted butter and almost all the juice of half a lemon. Served with orzo and a little salad. Heaven. Thank you, Mark Bittman

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Credits

Adapted from David Paulstich

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