Greetings from the cold tile floor of the N-gate area of Sea-Tac Airport! Since I have over an hour until my flight boards, I figure what better way to pass time than to post a Fave Recipe Friday entry before jet-setting to Korea (jealous, much? ).

So you know the food that you just absolutely love but will only eat at a restaurant because you don’t trust yourself to cook it properly? Well for me, that food is scallops. I had heard the horror stories many times before — ya know, blink for even a nano-second and the scallops are overcooked, etc. But last week I decided to face my fear and try cooking scallops at home. With these helpful tips from some of my smart foodie friends, I managed not to screw it up:

• When buying scallops, try to get the dry-packed kind — these haven’t been soaked with any additional liquids and therefore don’t need to be rinsed before cooking. If you can’t find dry-packed scallops, just remember to rinse them under cold water, drain and pat dry with towels before seasoning.
• Use a screaming-hot non-stick pan.
• Don’t overcrowd the scallops or they will end up steaming vs searing
• Remove the scallops from the heat while they still have a bit of a “spring” when you press down on them. No spring = overcooked #FAIL
• Scallops are best served immediately — if you wait too long, they turn rubbery (bleeeehhh!)

I had a bunch of parsnips and carrots from my monthly CSA box that I had to use up before heading to Korea — so I ended up making this sweet and creamy carrot-parsnip puree to go with the scallops. And for a little freshness, I added a simple Spring salad of baby spinach, strawberries, feta and balsamic vinaigrette. Nom nom nom!

Seared scallops w/ carrot-parsnip puree

Serves 4

Puree recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living (Nov 1997)

Scallops

• 12 large sea scallops
• 2-3 tsp unsalted butter
• 2-3 tsp olive oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Add the butter and olive oil to a large nonstick pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops. Once the butter/oil begins to smoke slightly, add the scallops (remember, don’t let them touch each other!). Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Puree

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp EVOO
• 2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/2 bunch carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (Note: Carrots are harder and take longer to cook than parsnips so they need to be cut smaller)
• 1/4 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp honey
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Blend butter and olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and 1/4 cup water; cook, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a food processor or blender, and puree. Spoon onto dish and serve seared scallops on top. Optional: lightly drizzle black truffle oil on top of finished plate.