Melissa's Corporate Chefs

Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Israeli Couscous Salad

Name: Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Israeli Couscous Salad
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: 8 cups water, boiling; 1 tablespoon salt; 1/2 cup Israeli Couscous; 2 1/4 whole organic lemons, juiced; 1 large organic shallot, minced (about a tablespoon); 1/2 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved; 1/4 cup mint, minced; 1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced (flat leaf); 2 whole organic lemons juice; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon oregano, dried; 5 cloves organic garlic, minced and smashed; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil; 6 large sea scallops; To your taste kosher salt and black pepper; 1 teaspoon butter unsalted, room temperature; 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

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Cuisine

Israeli

Servings

2 servings

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

50 minutes

Ingredients

Couscous Salad

8 cups water, boiling
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup Israeli Couscous
2 1/4 whole organic lemons, juiced
1 large organic shallot, minced (about a tablespoon)
1/2 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup mint, minced
1/4 cup Italian parsley, minced (flat leaf)

Greek Lemon and Garlic Dressing

2 whole organic lemons juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano, dried
5 cloves organic garlic, minced and smashed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea Scallops

6 large sea scallops
To your taste kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon butter unsalted, room temperature
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

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Directions

Couscous Salad

Place 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Add Israeli couscous. Return water to a boil and cook until just tender—about 13-14 minutes.
Drain in a mesh strainer (shaking several times), and place in a shallow plate. Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and toss.
Squeeze a ¼ lemon over couscous, spread out in a thin layer and allow to cool. When room temperature, transfer couscous to a large bowl and add shallot, tomatoes, mint and parsley.
In a small bowl, add ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons), salt, oregano and garlic. Whisk in 1/3 cup oil in a slow, steady steam until emulsified.
Add ½ of dressing to bowl with couscous and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

Pan-Seared Scallops

Rinse scallops with cold water and place on a plate. Thoroughly pat dry both sides of the scallops; then let the scallops air-dry on the plate for at least 10 minutes. Lightly salt and pepper the scallops.
Add the ½ tsp. butter and ½ tsp. olive oil to an 8-inch non-stick sauté pan on high heat until the oil is just smoking. Gently place scallops in the pan making sure that they are not touching each other.
Sear for 1 ½ minutes, then turn over and cook for an additional 1 ½ minutes. Transfer scallops onto one half of a serving plate in a triangle pattern, and mound the opposite side of the plate with half of the couscous salad.
Repeat process with remaining scallops and couscous and wait 5 minutes before serving to allow the au jus (natural juice) sauce to be released.

Recipe Note

You may need to add more lemon juice to the couscous salad just before serving. The flavor should be an aggressive lemon and garlic flavor, and the pasta absorbs the lemon taste as it sits.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Israeli Couscous Salad