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    Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

    Seared Scallops with Citrus Trio + Wild Rice

    Modified: Jan 18, 2024 · Published: Apr 20, 2015 by Ashley

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    Succulent seared scallops on a bed of garlicky wild rice and spinach with a bright citrus salad and crunchy toasted hazelnuts.

    This year for Valentine's Day, I wanted to cook something special at home. We hadn't had scallops for quite a while, and they're one of our favorites, so I knew that would be the way to go.

    I've also been trying to cook my way through some ingredients that have been lurking in my cabinets for a long time, and a jar of wild rice was in desperate need of attention.

    Seared Scallops with Citrus Trio + Wild Rice

    This meal takes several steps to complete, but the steps aren't difficult. While the rice is cooking, you can assemble the citrus salad, and once you add the greens to the rice, you can start prepping the scallops. The scallops cook up very quickly, so make sure you aren't distracted while you're searing them - overcooked scallops are not tasty!

    When I made this, we had a bit of rice leftover, but the amount of scallops was perfect. This dish was light, yet filling, and totally refreshing.

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    Seared Scallops with Citrus Trio + Wild Rice on a plate.

    Seared Scallops with Citrus Trio + Wild Rice

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    • Author: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen - Ashley Covelli
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    Description

    Succulent seared scallops on a bed of garlicky wild rice and spinach with a bright citrus salad and crunchy toasted hazelnuts.


    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    For Rice:

    • 1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
    • 4 cups water
    • Pinch kosher salt
    • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
    • 2 cups (packed) baby spinach

    For Citrus Trio:

    • 1 navel orange
    • 1 ruby red grapefruit
    • 1 Honeybell or Mineola orange
    • 3 sprigs thyme
    • 1 tablespoon honey
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

    For scallops:

    • 6 large sea scallops (brought up to room temperature if possible)
    • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

    For Garnish:

    • ¼ cup hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

    Instructions

    1. Prepare wild rice: Place water and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender (about 40-45 minutes). Remove lid, stir in spinach and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.
    2. Assemble citrus trio: Cut orange, grapefruit and Honeybell into supremes over a medium bowl, catching any of the juice that drips out. Squeeze any excess juice from the membranes into the bowl as well. Strip the leaves from the thyme and add them to the bowl, along with the honey, oil, salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
    3. Sear the scallops: Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat oil and butter in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, place scallops in the skillet, making sure they aren't touching each other, and sear for about 90 seconds. Flip scallops and cook for another 90 seconds, using a spoon to baste with the melted butter/oil mixture as they finish cooking. You're looking for them to have a golden brown crust on both sides, but still be tender and translucent on the inside. Remove from the skillet onto a paper towel-lined plate.
    4. To assemble: Place a few scoops of rice on 2 plates. Top each pile of rice with 3 scallops and a some of the citrus salad, spooning over extra juice as desired. Top with toasted hazelnuts and serve. Enjoy!


    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 2

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Michelle Nahom

      April 21, 2015 at 10:12 am

      What an amazing dish! Definitely trying it...we love scallops!

      Reply
      • BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen

        April 30, 2015 at 9:11 pm

        Thanks so much! It was a hit at my dinner table - hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Angies Appetizers

      April 21, 2015 at 2:07 pm

      This looks wonderful, I will forsure have to try it soon!

      Reply
      • BigFlavorsFromATinyKitchen

        April 30, 2015 at 9:11 pm

        Thank you 🙂 It was a really nice, refreshing meal. I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Ashley and I’ve been writing about food & recipes here at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen since 2006. I want to help you (yes, you!) gain confidence in the kitchen so you are excited to cook at home for yourself and your loved ones.

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