Thursday, May 18, 2023

Scallops in Cream Sauce by Macey


For the Cream Sauce you'll need:

  • garlic
  • chicken stock
  • heavy cream
  • parmesan
  • unsalted butter
  • salt

This sauce reminds me of a better version Alfredo sauce … (I’m a Garlic fan, and the real variation from Alfredo vs. the creamy scallop sauce is garlic :)). 

Garlic – I always recommend using freshly pressed garlic since this scallop recipe is so simple and you really want the flavors to come through. Minced garlic from a jar tends to have an unpleasant flavor (in my opinion). 

Stock – Chicken Bouillon gives the best flavor, but you can also use vegetable bouillon if you prefer. Opt for a low sodium version so you can have more control over the amount of salt by adding salt from the shaker vs having to worry about too much salt from the bouillon stock. (I like the powder version where you add it to hot water and stir the best but the wet kind works just the same! M) 

Heavy cream – To avoid lumps or separating when added to heat, be sure that the cream is at room temperature first. Simply measure it out and let it sit on the counter while you prep the other ingredients and start the scallop recipe.

Parmesan – For the best flavor, buy a fresh wedge and grate it by hand! I recommend using a microplane zester because the smaller shreds will melt down smoother and easier into the sauce. If you don’t have one of those, just use the smallest sized holes on a regular box grater.

Unsalted butter (buy from Costco)… best value :) 

Salt 


Prepping the Scallops: 

I purchased frozen scallops in a bag from Costco. Honestly, I’ve tried a lot of different kinds before, and the ones from Costco seem to taste the best. Make sure after you unthaw the scallops to dry them out with a paper towel really really good... You don’t want any scallop juice to get into your creamy pasta sauce! Yuck. 

Scallops taste so good, and they require very little prep time, and even a shorter cooking time! (So on nights when I’m not making a meal out of the whole chicken I prep on Sundays, scallops are one of my favorite go to meals.) So after I rinse scallops under water, and pat dry with paper towel, I just set them aside while I move onto the sauce. 

To finish the dish you'll need:

sliced mushrooms

diced onions

olive oil

white wine

spinach

cooked noodles

In a large skillet pan (I typically use a cast-iron pan), add chicken stock, heavy cream, butter and wine...

*Honestly, I don’t have the total measurements, simply because I typically like to cook with my eyeballs and taste along the way lol for a fact, though, I know that I used one and 1/4 cup chicken stock, a half a cup of heavy cream, quite a lot of unsalted butter that I also purchase from Costco ha ha, and white wine! 

I allow for the wine to burn off and continue stirring the butter and cream. What I typically prefer doing, is to start a second skillet pan, where I caramelize my onions in olive oil, add mushrooms and sauté, and at the very final, minced garlic cloves (chopped very very very  small!) They only take less than like two minutes, so be sure not to over cook. 

Once the mushroom onion and garlic is ready, then I will toss it into my creamy sauce along with the scallops only minutes before serving time, so that I can ensure that nothing gets too over cooked. 

Also, in the final hour before serving, is where you will add your fresh Parmesan as well as topping the entire cast iron pan with spinach leaves. I let them just sort of simmer on the top until they eventually collapse into smaller leaves at which time I then pull off heat so that the spinach doesn’t wilt way too much and shrink!! 

In a third pot on the stove, is where I will have my boiling water with a few shakes of salt in it, and my noodles of choice. Because I’m gluten-free my options are more limited, so for this specific recipe I am using a gluten-free spaghetti, however linguine is really good with this and so is fettuccine!! 

As I’m finalizing the sauce, I will put the scallops into the cream sauce right before it is done and ready to serve. 

Drain the noodles of any excess water, and scoop plain noodles onto plate, then generously scoop sauce with onions, garlic, mushroom, spinach and scallops. 


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