Pan-Seared Scallops

Fresh scallops are the best, but frozen wild-caught scallops can be delightful, and are handy to keep around the house for a quick meal. Simply place frozen scallops in a container, cover with water, and place a lid on it. Then leave them in the refrigerator. Small scallops will thaw in an hour, larger take a bit longer. You can leave them in the refrigerator to thaw all day long, but no longer than a day. 

Rinse the thawed scallops and pat dry. Pre-heat the skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted, add the scallops. Cook small scallops for 2 minutes, large scallops for 3. Turn each over. They should be just starting to brown. Cook another 1-2 minutes. Remove the scallops to a place. Juice the lmeon into the oil/butter/scallop juice leftover in the pan. You may want to turn up the heat to evaporate some of the liquid. Scrape the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan as the juice reduces to a gravy. Once the sauce is thick, remove the pan from the heat and drop the scallops back into the pan to toss and cover. (Don't pour the suace over the scallops, you'll find it too harsh that way).  (Recipe #613)