Bay scallops—which are smaller and sweeter than sea scallops—are found in estuaries up and down the Eastern Seaboard, from New England to the Mid-Atlantic region. Any of them will work here, but if you really want to pull out all the stops, search for those from Nantucket Bay, which are prized for their candylike succulence. Celery purée swirled with black truffle butter enhances the delicacy of the seafood.
This recipe was developed for Gourmet magazine's December 2009 issue. Unfortunately, Gourmet was shuttered before that issue was published. So in 2018, we dug up the entire Christmas menu and posted it here.
Recipe information
Total Time
50 min
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
For celery purée:
For scallops:
Preparation
Make celery purée:
Step 1
Simmer broth, celery, potato, onion, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small heavy saucepan, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add parsley and cook, uncovered, 1 minute. Purée mixture in a blender until very smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Keep warm in saucepan.
Cook scallops:
Step 2
Pat scallops dry and season with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté scallops until barley cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add truffle butter and stir until melted, then transfer scallops with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Stir celery purée into truffle butter in skillet. Spoon onto plates, then mound scallops in center and sprinkle with celery leaves.
Do Ahead
Step 3
Purée (without truffle butter) can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat in a microwave or in a saucepan over low heat before stirring into truffle butter.
Recipe notes
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