Sunday, March 9, 2008

Chipotle-Orange Scallops over Wild Rice


We had a great meal with our friend Debbie tonight. These scallops are deliciously spicy and sweet...served over a nutty wild rice with sides of baked sweet potatoes and steamed broccolini with browned butter. Great company and great food! :-)

Scallops with chipotle-orange sauce:

Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeƱos that are often canned in sauce; use more or less than we call for here, depending on your tolerance for heat. A preheated pan is essential for good browning, so heat your pan while you prep the ingredients.

2 tablespoons butter, divided
Cooking spray
1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1/4 cup minced green onions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Sprinkle scallops with paprika and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Add scallops to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan, and keep warm.
Add orange juice and chile to the pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 1 minute). Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1/8 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Serve the sauce over the scallops, and garnish with the onions. Serve over wild rice. It's nice to double the the amount of sauce (all except for the chipotles) because it's so good on leftover rice the next day. Just make sure to cook it down enough...nice and syrupy is best.

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