Seared Scallops With Glazed Brussels Sprouts

By Eric Kim

Published Feb. 13, 2022

Seared Scallops With Glazed Brussels Sprouts
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Sue Li. Prop stylist: Pamela Duncan Silver.
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(1,962)
Comments
Read comments

The hidden gem in this meal for two is the bacon that starts it all off. It’s crisped in a little olive oil, creating a nice pool of fat to cook both the scallops and the brussels sprouts. When searing scallops, the trick to a great crust and tender insides is to cook them mostly on the first side. A tangy mix of lime juice, maple syrup and Dijon is then splashed in to deglaze the pan, making it easy to scrape up the tasty bits stuck on the bottom. Cold butter is vigorously stirred into the glaze to transform it into a pan sauce. But, draped in that sour-sweet lime butter, it’s the bacon that sings. Serve with a big green salad and crusty bread, or a light, brothy soup.

Featured in: This Pan Sauce Set My Cooking Free

  • 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

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 2tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • ½teaspoon garlic powder
  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • 4slices bacon, sliced crosswise into thin, short strips
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • 8large sea scallops (10 to 12 ounces), preferably dry-packed
  • ½pound brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved, larger ones quartered
  • 3tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • 1tablespoon chopped chives, for garnish (optional)
  • Crusty bread or steamed white rice, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

758 calories; 47 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 1109 milligrams sodium

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

    In a small bowl, stir together the lime juice, maple syrup, mustard, garlic powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Season with pepper.

  2. Step 2

    Add the bacon and olive oil to a large, cold skillet. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is very crispy but not burned, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and carefully pour all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan into a heatproof dish or jar. Place the pan back on the heat.

  3. Step 3

    Pat the scallops dry with a cloth or paper towel, and season with salt on all sides. Carefully place each scallop, flat side down, into the hot fat and cook, without touching, until nicely golden brown on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook briefly this time until very lightly golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.

  4. Step 4

    Add the brussels sprouts to the hot pan, making sure each one is turned cut side down. Season with salt and pepper and cook, still over medium-high and without touching, until brown and slightly charred on that one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more bacon fat as needed to keep the pan coated. Now gently shake the pan or stir with a spoon to stir-fry briefly, just a few seconds.

  5. Step 5

    When the brussels sprouts are charred on the cut sides and bright green on the rounded sides, transfer them to the plate with the scallops. In the now-empty pan, add the lime juice mixture and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until it bubbles up and reduces by more than half and a spoon dragged through the pan leaves a naked trail in the lime glaze, 2 to 5 minutes. It should look sticky like melted candy.

  6. Step 6

    Remove the pan from the heat and return the scallops to the pan, tossing in the butter as well. Stir until the butter is fully melted and incorporated into the lime glaze. This residual heat should also finish heating your scallops. Add back the seared brussels sprouts and bacon and gently toss in the glaze. Garnish with the chives.

  7. Step 7

    Serve right from the pan if you’d like with a side of crusty bread or bowls of rice.

Private Notes

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

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,962 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

renee

What could substitute for the bacon, which I don't eat anymore?

Denis

Good stuff. I like to roast the sprouts cut side down in the oven (10 mins. 400F) to get that charr. This accelerates the process ensuring the scallops don’t cool off because reheated scallops are over cooked scallops.

maire

The mix of maple syrup and Dijon is delicious. Just be careful: the syrup will make the protein very dark and sometimes that can be misleading - you think it is cooked before it is cooked.

rande

Deglazing the pan with a bit of cream sherry before commencing with the rest of the sauce tempers the huge sweet/acid (bing-bong!) action. Love its warmth. This recipe is on regular rotation.

ARose

I made this the other night and omitted the butter and it was perfection. You definitely don't need it, but I can imagine the dish would be super rich with it.

LBrennan

This was a hit with the group I hosted, but personally, I will omit the maple syrup next time.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.