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Seared Scallops with Butternut Squash Puree

This is a beautiful meal that doesn’t take very much time, and the butternut puree is a healthy alternative to mashed potatoes. If you prefer less work and a lighter meal, these scallops are perfect served over basmati rice. Because scallops take only 4 minutes to cook, the temptation is to overcook them, don’t! When overcooked ,scallops are rubbery. When cooked correctly, they are tender and heavenly.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword easy dinner recipe, gluten-free recipe, light recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 servings
Author Linda Spiker

Ingredients

Butternut Puree Ingredients and Prep:

  • 1 butternut squash about 2 lbs, peeled and cut into cubes (when cut into cubes, squash should fill entire rimmed cookie sheet)
  • 6 -8 Sage leaves
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Pepper
  • 4-5 whole cloves garlic peeled

Scallops with Butter sauce:

  • 16 large scallops thawed, lightly salted and peppered
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 teaspoons freshly minced sage
  • 1 small shallot minced
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in upper third of oven. Place a sheet of parchment paper on rimmed cookie sheet and set aside
  • Peel and cut squash into ½ inch cubes, place on a rimmed cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, add whole garlic cloves and toss
  • Place butternut squash in the oven and set timer for 30 minutes
  • When timer goes off, toss 6-8 whole sage leaves onto the butternut baking sheet and cook for 10-15 more minutes (till squash soft and just starting to brown and sage is crispy).
  • Remove from oven and put all ingredients into a food processor and process till squash is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Cover to keep warm.
  • Pat scallops dry with paper towel, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
  • Heat a non stick nonstick pan on medium/high heat for three minutes
  • While waiting for pan to heat, spoon butternut puree onto four plates
  • Carefully add olive oil to hot pan, add scallops and sear without moving them for 2-3 minutes (till golden) then turn them over.
  • Cook for about 90 seconds more, remove from heat and nuzzle them atop your pureed squash to keep them warm while preparing butter sauce.
  • Immediately add butter and shallots to pan and saute for about a minute, add sage leaves and cook for one more minute. Stir in fresh lemon juice. Spoon butter mixture over scallops and serve.