Making better, quicker dinners and a recipe for pan-seared scallops drizzled with a simple brown butter sauce and served over lemony watercress salad and tender Thai Hom Mali jasmine rice. This post is brought to you in partnership with Lundberg Family Farms.
I’m a quick dinner skeptic. It’s not that I don’t make quick dinners, I do. It’s that these quick dinners, typically light on the vegetables and big on pasta, leave me wanting more. More texture, more flavor, and definitely more vegetables. While they’re often a victory from the perspective of time, they can feel like a defeat of my ideals.
Lately, I’ve been trying to break free from this all-or-nothing approach to making dinner and come up with smart, nourishing dinners that are ready in less than 30 minutes. I’ve enjoyed the challenge and along the way, a few quick meals have earned a place in our regular rotation.
These pan-seared scallops are one of those newfound faves. Sea scallops’ inherent deliciousness, with their delicate, faintly sweet flesh, always felt a little too special for a day-to-day use, but they’re nearly effortless and a very good excuse to make an elevated weeknight meal. To complement the delightful simplicity of scallops drizzled with brown butter, I made an easy, herbaceous watercress salad and a packet of Lundberg Family Farms’ Organic White Jasmine Thai Hom Mali Rice.
Lundberg Family Farms are out with a new line of steamed Organic Jasmine Thai Hom Mali Rice that is ready after just 90 seconds in the microwave. The rice is tender, with just the right amount of bite, and takes all the guesswork (and time) out of making great rice every time. I also love Lundberg Family Farms’ commitment to sourcing Fair Trade, Organic rice.
We’re celebrating the new product line with an exciting Lundberg Family Farms prize package giveaway! One reader will receive one of each variety of rice, a $50 AmEx gift card for groceries, a rice paddle, set of four gorgeous serving bowls, and an eco microwavable lunch box. To enter, leave a comment on this post sharing your most delicious dinner shortcut. Giveaway closes May 22, 2017 at noon. Giveaway open to US residents only. Giveaway now closed – thanks to all who entered!
- 6 large sea scallops (about 1/2 pound)
- 1/2 small fennel bulb , cored and thinly sliced plus 1/4 cup chopped fronds, divided
- zest of 1 lemon plus 1 tablespoon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- sea salt
- 1/2 bunch watercress , stems trimmed and rough chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon neutral cooking oil (such as grapeseed or sunflower), divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 packet Lundberg Family Farms' Organic White Jasmine Thai Hom Mali Rice
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
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Set scallops on a paper towel-lined plate. Use another paper towel to blot the top as well.
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In a medium-sized bowl, toss fennel (excluding fronds) with shallot, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and a pinch sea salt. Set aside. Prep the remaining greens, including fennel fronds) but don't add to the fennel mixture.
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Set a large, heavy skillet over medium-high/high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and then quickly add scallops. Sear, unmoved, 2 minutes, or until scallops are a rich golden hue. Flip, add butter, and sear another 2 - 3 minutes. As scallops cook, tip pan and carefully spoon pooling butter over them.
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Meanwhile, make white rice according to package instructions.
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Just before serving, toss greens and herbs with lemon and fennel mixture. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil, and add sea salt and pepper to taste.
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Plate rice and a handful of greens, top with seared scallops, and finish with brown butter pan sauce and a pinch each sea salt and pepper.
This post is sponsored by Lundberg Family Farms. Thanks for supporting the brands that make Brooklyn Supper possible.
Big batches of grains and/or roast/grilled veg over the weekend to use throughout the week is always helpful!
I love your recipe above. My go to fast dinner so far has been a salad with grilled shrimp or seared scallops on top. I’d love to know him more about this jasmine rice because I think it would be perfect for a fast go to dinner. I’m looking forward to finding it in a store.
Dinner shortcuts for me mean making big batches of things that reheat well on days when I have the time. Like any kind of soups. A lot of roasted veg, and a chicken. Curries. Grains. I find some of the best fast and easy meals are clean out the fridge meals.
oh I hardcore approve of this quick scallop dinner situation. My family is gonna love this recipe!
i love scallops too!! i definitely need to cook/eat them more though. such a beautiful spring-y recipe… and i adore your photography, as always. Xx
I love scallops, and don’t make them nearly enough! But this dinner could be prepared so quickly, and sounds great. Definitely adding it to my meal plan 🙂
This sounds so yummy, I am crazy about scallops!
xo
Phyllis
http://desgeulasse.com/
I’m still learning to love scallops, but this is SO my jam!
I, too, am a quick dinner skeptic, but I’m about to start rotations in the hospital (literally, like tomorrow), which means 7AM-6PM days, and with more studying on that, I can no longer have leisurely dinners. I’m definitely adding this to my dinners-to-try (also because I adore scallops and this whole plate looks delicious!)
I don’t know why, but I never think to make scallops at home. Thanks for the inspiration as always! Oh, and we love Lundberg rice!!
I love scallops but didn’t know how to cook them until now. Thanks so much! This will go well with my always ready made, Lundberg wild rice and fresh greens, my go to quick dinner.
I use an 8 qt electric pressure cooker and batch cook rice, legumes, spuds, whatever. What I don’t eat gets packed into freezer containers, sometimes lunch-sized portions for the work week. In the winter I make split pea and lentil soups and freeze portions of those. It makes life so much easier!!
Frittatas are a quick way to get a healthy, nutritious dinner on the table and quick!