Recipe: Scallops with Orange Saffron Butter and Rice Cakes

SEARED SEA SCALLOPS WITH
ORANGE SAFFRON BUTTER AND RICE CAKES

FOR THE ORANGE-SAFFRON BUTTER:
1 teaspoon saffron
1/4 cup dry vermouth
Zest of 1 orange and juice of half
Zest of 1 lemon and juice of half
2 sticks butter plus 4 tablespoons, softened to room temperature
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, ground finely in a coffee grinder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
FOR THE SCALLOPS:
32 large, dry sea scallops
4 tablespoons canola oil, for browning
FOR SERVING:
Rice Cakes (recipe follows)
Seared greens

TO MAKE THE ORANGE-SAFFRON BUTTER:
Place the saffron in a small mixing bowl and add the vermouth. Let it steep for about 5 minutes. Add the orange and lemon zests and juices, the 2 sticks of butter, garlic, parsley, paprika, fennel, and black pepper. Mix to combine the ingredients and season to taste with salt.

Lay a piece of plastic wrap out and spoon half of the flavored butter in an even layer. Fold the edges of the plastic wrap around the butter mound and twist the ends to form a small log. Repeat this process with the remaining butter and chill both logs.

TO PREPARE THE SCALLOPS:
Remove the foot or muscle from the side of the scallop (sometimes it has a little shell stuck to it). It is a little tough, but is edible. I prefer to remove them.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil until the butter starts to brown. Add 8 of the scallops and brown one side only, for about 6 to 7 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the scallops seem to brown too quickly or start to burn. The edges will turn from translucent to opaque, but the center on the top will remain a little translucent. Lift the scallops to check that they are brown with a golden crust and flip them over to cook the rare spot for 30 seconds.

Immediately remove the scallops from the heat and place them onto a platter. Dollop the scallops with 2 tablespoons of the orange-saffron butter and keep them warm by covering them with foil or by putting them into a small serving dish with a lid. The butter will melt from the heat of the scallops.

Wipe the saute pan clean and repeat the searing process until all the scallops are cooked. It may be tempting to sear all the scallops at once, but the more crowded the pan is, the less likely you are to get a golden crust. Too many scallops cools the pan down, and they will start to steam instead of sear. If you have a very large pan, you can try to fit more scallops in at once, but leave about 1-inch between each. It's tempting to move the scallops around once they are in the pan, but don't do it. Allow them to attain a perfect sear.

Add 2 more tablespoons of orange-saffron butter to the scallops and stir to coat them.

TO SERVE:
Divide them evenly onto 8 plates and serve immediately with Rice Cakes and seared greens.

RICE CAKES
Makes 10 to 12 medium rice cakes to serve 5 to 12

2 cups uncooked long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati
1 teaspoon salt plus more to season to taste
3 eggs
1/2 cup whole-milk plain yogurt, preferably Greek style
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon butter

Soak the rice for 20 minutes in warm water to cover. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt to remove some of the starch.

Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil over high heat.

Drain the rice and sprinkle it into the boiling water, little by little. Stir well. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the rice, stirring from time to time, for 6 minutes, until tender.

Drain the rice and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs with the yogurt until smooth and combined. Stir in the rice and season with salt to taste.

Heat a medium non-stick, ovenproof saute pan over high heat, and add the canola or vegetable oil and butter. When the butter browns, drop in four to six (1/2-cup) scoops of rice and cook over medium heat until the bottoms brown, about 6 minutes. Repeat the process until all the rice cakes are cooked.

Place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes. The bottoms of the rice cakes should have a beautiful crust and the tops should be soft.

Serve immediately, with the crust side up, side by side with the seared sea scallops.

Makes 8 servings
Source: Spice by Ana Sortun