Seared Sea Scallops With Spicy Carrot Coulis

By David Tanis

Published February 9, 2021

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(679)
Comments
Read comments

A coulis, pronounced koo-LEE, is a thin, pourable sauce, often made from tomatoes for savory dishes, or from berries for desserts. This brilliant orange sauce gets a splash of vinegar for a hit of acidity and a pinch of cayenne for heat, a perfect foil for the scallops’ sweetness. For the best flavor, use young bunch carrots, not large “horse carrots.” This is a very easy dish if the sauce is prepared in advance. (Make the sauce up to a day ahead. If made in advance, reheat to serve.) Then it’s just a matter of searing the scallops and assembling the plates.

Featured in: This Valentine’s Day, Make a Restaurant-Worthy Spread at Home

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

FOR THE CARROT COULIS

  • 1 ½ cups sliced young carrots

  • 6 large garlic cloves, peeled

  • 1 cup chopped sweet onion

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

  • Generous pinch of ground cayenne

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon honey or granulated sugar

  • 2 cups chicken broth, light vegetable stock or water

FOR THE SCALLOPS

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 18 large dry-packed sea scallops, cleaned and patted dry (about 1 ½ pounds)

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems (from 1 small bunch)

  • 2 tablespoons finely cut chives or green scallion tops

  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced Fresno, serrano or jalapeño chiles

  • Lime wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

13 grams carbs; 27 milligrams cholesterol; 160 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 631 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the coulis: Put carrots, garlic, onion, vinegar, cayenne, salt, honey and broth in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until carrots are very soft, about 15 minutes. Purée all ingredients thoroughly in a blender and strain if necessary — it should be very smooth. Taste, and adjust seasoning. Coulis should not be too thick, but rather similar to a thin milkshake. Keep warm if not made ahead.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the scallops: Set 2 wide cast-iron skillets or a large griddle over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, film with olive oil. As oil heats and just before cooking, season scallops with salt and pepper on both sides. When oil is wavy, place scallops in pan without crowding. Leave scallops undisturbed to brown well and crisp on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until cooked through, but juicy. Place scallops browned side up on paper towels to blot bottoms.

  3. Step 3

    To serve, ladle about ¼ cup warm coulis onto individual warmed dinner plates. Set scallops on top, browned side up. Sprinkle with cilantro, chives and sliced chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5
679 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Kristen Berry

I am sure he meant 1-2 cloves of garlic if you look at the scale of other ingredients.

Andy C

I just made the carrot coulis, and it is VERY GARLICY! I am wondering if he meant 12 large cloves or garlic. I think I might try this recipe again with less garlic (2or 3?) because otherwise the flavors are very nice.

S.

Coulis would be immensely improved by some GINGER.

Little Compton cook

Though I cook from NYT all the time I’ve never written a review. This recipe was spectacular!! I used shallots instead of garlic, thinned the sauce with stock until I liked the consistency, blended in a bit of butter and sprinkled with tarragon because my plant had just come back after our long winter. Nothing else. It doesn’t hurt that we have fresh New Bedford scallops here on the edge of Rhode Island. Paired with local asparagus and celebrated Spring.

Martin

Vinegar level is wrong. Do half the amount

CyberJoe

Cook time for scallops is much too long.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.