This was a little nibble that I was passing around a party I was working at on Saturday night. The majority of the guests were strict vegetarians, which meant that there were a lot of scallops left over after the cocktail hour and I got to munch on more than my share of these little bites. I give you the recipe as a passed appetizer, but unless you have hired a chef for your shindig or you have very nice friends who are helpful in the kitchen you may want to leave the scallops whole and make this as a lovely entree so you are not trapped behind the stove for the first hour of your get together.
Important things to note:
I have you dry the scallops because they will not sear well if they are wet. That is also the reason the glaze goes on after they are cooked. Make sure you get them nice and dry. You can try spreading out a layer of paper towels in a sheet pan and spreading out a single layer of scallops and then putting another layer of paper towels on top just to be sure.
I have you deglaze the pan with dry sherry. If you don't happen to have that on hand you could use an equal amount of white wine or even broth or water in a pinch.
I use my microplane zester-grater to deal with ginger - it is well worth the price and among many other tricks does a great job reducing the fibrous root to a paste in seconds.
I cut the back the oil on this recipe to lighten it up, but you do need a little to keep the scallops from sticking. I've had luck searing in a good quality non-stick pan and also in a well seasoned cast iron pan. If you use a regular pan (in this instance I mean a pan with no non-stick coating) you may need to use a little more oil to keep the scallops from sticking. In either case, it will help prevent sticking if you heat the pan up empty for 1-2 minutes before filming with oil and putting the scallops in.
As far as sesame seeds go, toasted sesame seeds will be tastier and they are very easy to make yourself. You can also buy toasted sesame seeds. There are also black sesame seeds that would look and taste great - usually found at an asian food store. I have a mix of black sesame seeds and seaweed and salt that is used as a seasoning in Japanese cooking that would work well here too. As you can see there are quite a few sesame seed options.
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Orange Sesame Seared Scallop Appetizer
Peanut oil for filming pan
1 1/2 pounds sea scallops, patted dry with paper towels
2 teaspoons ground peppercorn blend, or ground black pepper
For Glaze:
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon toated sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon (packed) grated orange peel
For coating:
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon finely chopped orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine the ingredients for the coating in a small bowl and set aside.
Pat scallops dry with paper towels. If the scallops are large cut them in half or quarters – bite sized pieces. Heat large skillet over high heat. Brush pan with a film of peanut oil. Working in batches, add scallops to skillet in single layer; sauté until brown on outside and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side if the scallops are still whole. Transfer scallops to a bowl, leaving drippings in pan.
Pour sherry into pan and stir, scraping up any drippings that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cook until wine is reduced by half then add garlic and remaining oil to skillet; stir 30 seconds. Add orange juice, soy sauce, and orange peel. Boil until sauce thickens to syrup, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes.
Pour glaze over scallops and mix to coat.
When ready to serve, skewer each scallop on a toothpick and dip it in coating so that one side gets covered with sesame seed mixture.
Serve warm as a passed appetizer.
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