Pan-Roasted Scallops with Hazelnut Gremolata

Delicious seared scallops are within your grasp. Look for “dry-packed” scallops wherever possible, and the extra step of salting and blotting will help remove any excess liquid. Preserved lemon peel in the gremolata adds a special note if you have it on hand, otherwise fresh lemon zest works just fine.

¼ cup (60 mL) roasted, skinned hazelnuts ¼ cup (60 mL) coarsely chopped parsley 2 tsp (10 mL) finely chopped preserved lemon peel or fresh lemon zest

1 tsp (5 mL) finely chopped garlic

3 tbsp (45 mL) extra virgin olive oil, divided Salt and freshly ground pepper

12 large sea scallops, ideally dry-packed, side muscle removed, about 14 oz (395 g) 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 mL) canola oil

1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 Combine hazelnuts, parsley, preserved lemon, garlic and 2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil in a mini food processor and process until everything is finely chopped. Add remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2 Season scallops with a total of about ¾ tsp (4 mL) salt on all sides and place on a papertowel-lined plate. Let stand in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, then pat thoroughly dry. If scallops have exuded a lot of liquid, re-season lightly with salt.

3 Divide gremolata between 4 serving plates.

4 Heat a large steel or cast iron pan on high heat. Add just enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan and continue to heat until oil just begins to smoke. Add scallops, flat-side down, spacing them out as far as possible, and cook without moving them for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are deeply browned. Turn scallops and cook for 1 minute longer or until scallops are just lightly browned on the second side. You don’t want the scallops to cook completely through. Transfer scallops to prepared serving plates and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice.

Makes 4 small servings