Preparation
- Pat the scallops thoroughly dry with kitchen paper and season on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add the scallops and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the underside is golden brown.
- Carefully turn the scallops, add the butter, garlic and chilli to the pan and fry for a further 2 to 3 minutes, basting the scallops with the butter again and again, until they are just cooked through.
- Pour in the white wine, let it boil for about 10 seconds, take the pan off the heat and drizzle the scallops with the lime juice.
- Sprinkle with the coriander and serve at once with the butter from the pan.
Drink with it
Sparkling wine · excellent match
Blanc de Blancs, Champagne or Crémant, Brut
Acidity and fine bubbles keep the butter fresh, and Chardonnay fruit and yeasty notes suit the sweet scallop and the seared crust.
Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference?White wine · excellent match
Chablis or unoaked Chardonnay, alternatively dry Riesling
Citrus acidity picks up the lime juice, and the slim body leaves the delicate sweetness of the scallop in front.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosingGinjo sake · excellent match
Ginjo sake, well chilled
Scallops (hotate) are among the first partners a sake sommelier names for ginjo: fine fruit and rice umami meet the natural sweetness of the scallop and the seared crust, and lime and coriander do not disturb the delicate sake.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?London dry gin · good match
London Dry gin with tonic, lemon zest and plenty of ice
Citrus and juniper take up the lime and coriander, and the long drink stays light next to the delicate scallop.
London Dry Gin: does it have to come from London?