Seared Scallops with Sautéed Spinach, Sweet-Potato Mash, and Brown Butter Sauce Gluten-Free Recipe

Restaurant-fancy and simple to prepare, this luscious gluten free seafood dish can easily be made vegetarian if you leave off the scallops.

5 from 1 vote
Print

Seared Scallops with Sautéed Spinach, Sweet-Potato Mash, and Brown Butter Sauce Gluten-Free Recipe

Servings 2
Author Eric Lundy

Ingredients

  • 1 (14-ounce) yam or sweet potato
  • 6 to 8 large scallops (10 to 12 ounces total weight)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon minced red onion
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, divided
  • 1 tablespoon currants, plumped in hot water and drained
  • 5 ounces baby spinach
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

  1. Set the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 425°F. Prick the sweet potato with a fork and bake in a small baking dish until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Keep warm.
  2. Meanwhile, pat the scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering, then add the scallops in one layer. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes. Flip the scallops, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and the onion, then swirl the pan occasionally, letting the butter and onion get golden brown with a nutty aroma, about 2 minutes. Remove the scallops and keep warm. To the pan, add the vinegar and 3 tablespoons of the orange juice. Let it bubble and reduce to a semi-thick sauce, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the currants, spinach, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat. When the spinach starts to wilt, after about 1 minute, remove it the pan from the heat and keep warm.
  3. Working quickly, peel the sweet potato and discard the skin. In a bowl, roughly mash the sweet potato with the orange zest, a pinch of salt, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and the remaining 1 tablespoon orange juice.
  4. Divide the sweet potato mash between 2 plates, top each with half of the wilted spinach mixture and half of the scallops. Drizzle the pan juices over the scallops, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Photography Erin Ng

8 Comments on “Seared Scallops with Sautéed Spinach, Sweet-Potato Mash, and Brown Butter Sauce Gluten-Free Recipe”

  1. Avatar for Erika

    I’m so glad you liked it. I agree. It’s simple enough for anytime but elegant enough for company!

  2. Avatar for Francisco

    I added cilantro and hatch chiles to the sweet potato mush, it was delicious! I also browned the scallops with goat butter. See my post at @PamchoArgentino in instagram

  3. Avatar for Lynnee Schmidt

    we give it 5 stars! we substituted dried cherries for the currants since we didn’t have any on hand – the whole dish was harmonious. Then add the buttery chardonnay and it was worthy of a michelin star!

  4. Avatar for Liz

    Delicious! The balance between the acidity of the sherry vinegar and orange juice, with the sweetness of the mash, was just right.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.