Herb Buttered Scallops

Picture of Herb Buttered Scallops

My recipes are starting to follow a trend: Easy, very few ingredients and directions and something that you can just shop for on the way home from work and have ready on the table in less than 30 minutes. Today's recipe is one such creation by my artiste husband, Joe. He is having more fun with Granny's Table than could have been imagined. I asked for his help on one recipe and now with everything that comes to the table, he is saying "Take a picture! Take a picture!"

Ingredients

1 lb sea scallops (these are the big ones)

Salt and pepper 

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 stick Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter + 1 TBS extra

Approximately 3 TBS fresh lemon juice (this is what came from one small juicy lemon)

2 TBS Chardonnay or a dash of whatever white wine you have. Do not use cooking wine.

Directions

  1. Sprinkle scallops on both sides with salt and pepper.

  2. Melt 1/2 stick of Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter in a non-stick pan.

  3. Add minced garlic and stir it in the butter.

  4. Right after stirring the garlic, add scallops to the butter and sauté on high about 2 minutes on each side. They should just about start to brown around the edges. If they have not browned, keep a little while longer, but watch that nothing more than the edges brown.

  5. Turn heat to medium and add lemon juice.

  6. Simmer 1 minute.

  7. Add the extra TBS of Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter and the chardonnay.

  8. Simmer until the butter melts.

NOTE #1: The chardonnay gives off a wonderful aroma while it is cooking, but honestly I don't have the wine tastebuds to have noticed it in the dish, but my husband could taste it. My feeling is, that if you don't have any white wine, don't make a special trip to the store for it. What I do, actually, is keep two small jars in the fridge for both white wine and red wine, and when we serve it, if there is a little left over I pour it into those jars to have for cooking when I just need a few tablespoons. The flavors that you might want not to go into the communal jar would be sherry or Marsala, both of which have very distinctive flavors of their own.

NOTE #2: My husband said "Serve with baguette" — but what is pictured is about 5 cups of raw spinach that was sautéd in 1/2 tsp of minced garlic and 2 TBS olive oil, then yellow squash added to the sauté after the spinach cooked down.