Seared Scallops with Salsa Verde Recipe

Updated June 11, 2019

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Salsa verde is a good, quick sauce to have in the repertoire. Not to be confused with anything out of Mexico, salsa verde is from Italy. The piquant, herb-based sauce usually features parsley, capers, and and olive oil. It's easy to prepare from pantry ingredients and reliably good with roasted vegetables and grilled meats; even robust flavors can stand up to this flavorful sauce. But until now, I've never had it with seafood.

Of course, you always trust a recipe from Alice Waters' superb The Art of Simple Food. It makes sense, when you think about it—seared scallops develop a gorgeous, caramelized crust, which gives them a "meaty" quality to pair with the salsa.

Waters' recipe goes heavy on the olive oil, turning it into a loose sauce spiked with garlic, capers, lemon zest, and black pepper. I took her suggestion for adding lemon juice as well, to make it even zestier. In anticipation of coming spring, this is a light and gorgeous meal.

Adapted from The Art of Simple Food.

Recipe Details

Seared Scallops with Salsa Verde Recipe

Active 10 mins

Total 25 mins

Serves 4 servings

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Ingredients

1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley
Grated zest of 1 lemon, plus juice to taste
1 fat clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon capers, drained, rinsed, and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for coating the pan
1 pound scallops, dried well and seasoned with salt and pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, lemon zest, garlic, capers, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Stir well to combine and taste for seasoning. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
In the meantime, coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil. Making sure the scallops are dry, carefully add them in a single layer well-spaced (too close together and they're prone to steam and not develop a good crust). Cook until golden on both sides, 2-3 minutes each side.
Serve the scallops immediately with the salsa verde spooned over it.

Scallops

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
352	Calories
31g	Fat
5g	Carbs
14g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	352
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g	40%
Saturated Fat 4g	22%
Cholesterol 27mg	9%
Sodium 763mg	33%
Total Carbohydrate 5g	2%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 9mg	46%
Calcium 22mg	2%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 276mg	6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.