Seared Scallop With Mushroom Risotto
A perfectly seared scallop atop earthy, creamy mushroom-laden risotto... A perfect starter course for a special occasion, or a main dish with additional scallops!
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Ingredients
- .5 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 cup boiling water to cover dried mushrooms
- drizzle of white truffle oil*
- 1 shallot - minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic - minced
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms - sliced
- 1 cup arborio rice*
- ¾ cup dry white wine or 1/3 cup dry sherry
- several sprigs fresh thyme - leaves stripped or
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- a few grinds pepper
- 3 cups mushroom broth +/-
- ½ cup parmagiano reggiano*
- parsley to garnish
- large sea scallops*
- 1 tablespoon white truffle oil*
- sea salt/ground pepper
- * See Notes
Instructions
- Cover the porcini (if using) with boiling water. Chop the shallots, mince the garlic, and slice the crimini or button mushrooms.
- Put your broth* in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat and maintain a low simmer. Using a good quality, fairly heavy pan (I like my enameled cast iron small dutch oven), heat the truffle oil, add the shallot and minced garlic. Sauté until translucent. Add the mushrooms and rice, and saute until the mushrooms begin to brown.
- De-glaze the pot with wine or sherry. Add the thyme leaves, and salt and pepper.
- When most of the wine is absorbed, add the porcini liquid (if not using, see notes). Chop the drained porcini and add them to the pot. Continue adding hot broth as the liquid is absorbed, stirring often. This process will take about 30 minutes +/-.
- Pat the scallops dry on all sides.* Coat a non-stick saute pan with truffle or olive oil. Bring the pan almost to the smoke point. Place the scallops in the very hot pan. Cook until nicely caramelized, then turn. Season with sea salt and pepper. Time this step to coincide with the completion of the risotto.
- At about 25 minutes, taste a grain. It should be firm but tender, and the mixture should be creamy.
- When the rice is al dente (firm but tender to the bite), stir in the grated cheese.
To Serve
- On a small dinner plate, spoon one-fourth of the risotto. Top with a scallop (or scallops). Sprinkle with chopped parsley, and enjoy!
Notes
Dried porcini have a wonderful, intense mushroom flavor. When re-hydrated, the liquid is highly concentrated and flavorful. Add to the rice after the addition of the wine or sherry if using. If not, you'll most likely need more than 3 cups of liquid. Typically, I use a 1:4 ratio of arborio rice to liquid.
White truffle oil deepens the earthy flavors of this dish. You can substitute your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
Of course parmagiano reggiano is amazing, but quite expensive. The dish will not suffer if you substitute freshly grated parmesan, romano, or even asiago. Just don't use pre-grated cheese!
If making this as a starter course, one large scallop per person is a nice-sized serving. As a main course, I like to serve 3 per person which works out to about 4 ounces each. Large scallops will add about 40 calories each to the dish if using more than 1 per serving.
Macronutrients are an approximation from MyFitnessPal.com, and just meant to be a reference. I used 1 large scallop per person (starter portion).
Nutrition
Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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