Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 20 sea scallops
- Kosher salt
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped finely
- 4 T. Serrano ham, cut into pieces the same size as the onion
- 4 T. finely chopped parsley
- A pinch of saffron
- 1/3 cup dry sherry or white wine
- Juice of a lemon
Preparation:
Pat the scallops dry and salt each side with the kosher salt. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and heat over high heat until it's near the smoking point. Lower the heat to medium-high.
Pat the scallops dry one more time and lay down on the hot oil to sear. Do not move them for at least 2 minutes. Shake the pan a bit to see if they release themselves. Once they do, lift out and put on a plate, seared side facing up.
Once the scallops are all seared on one side, add the onions and ham and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring often to pick up any stuck-on bits from the pan.
Crumble the saffron over the pan, then add the parsley and sherry and stir well to combine. Return the scallops to the pan, seared side up. Make sure the scallops are resting on the pan, not on onions.
Let this boil down vigorously until the sherry is almost gone, then turn off the heat and remove the scallops to the plate as you did before.
To assemble the dish, spoon out some of the onion-ham mixture on a plate, drizzle a little lemon juice on it and then top with the scallops.
This dish is best with crusty bread and a Spanish or California Albarino wine. A Potuguese Verdelho would be excellent, as would a white Cotes du Rhone or dry Riesling.