Description
Sweet & juicy jumbo sea scallops are seared to gloriously crusty, golden brown perfection, & served on a bed of simple coconut rice with a light & bright tropical mango salsa. A 35-minute tropical vacation, any night of the week!
Ingredients
Scale
- 12-ounces Specially Selected Jumbo Scallops, thawed according to package directions
- salt & ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Simply Nature 100% Pure Avocado Oil (or another high smoke point oil, such as corn, peanut, grapeseed, canola, etc.)
- for serving, as desired: coconut rice (below), mango salsa (below), chopped cilantro, lime wedges, tortilla chips, etc.
for the coconut rice:
- 1 cup dry basmati rice
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lime, zested & juiced
- handful of cilantro, finely chopped
for the avocado mango salsa:
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, deseeded & diced
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded (as desired) & finely chopped
- 1 large mango, diced
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- handful of cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the coconut rice: Place the rice in a colander and rinse several times with cold water until the water runs clear. Set aside. Add the coconut milk & water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add in the rinsed rice. Stir to combine. Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low, simmering gently for 15 minutes, or until most of the coconut milk has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Finish the rice by fluffing it with a fork, then carefully folding in the salt, lime zest, lime juice, & cilantro. Set aside for serving.
- Scallop prep: Meanwhile, as the rice cooks, clean the scallops. Remove the scallops from the packaging. Quickly rinse under cold water. Check each scallop for its side muscle (the adductor muscle that attached the scallop to its shell): if present, it will look like a small, rectangular tag right along the side of the scallop, with its fibers running opposite the fibers in the scallop itself. Use your fingers to gently tear it away. Transfer the cleaned scallops to a paper towel-lined plate. Gently press a second piece of paper towel over top to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Set aside.
- Prep the mango salsa: Meanwhile, as the rice cooks, prep the mango salsa. Add all listed ingredients to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Set aside for serving, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Sear the scallops: Add the avocado oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the scallops generously with salt & ground black pepper. Once the oil is hot, cook the scallops: working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, carefully transfer the scallops to the skillet. Cook, giving the pan a gentle shake every so often, for 2-3 minutes, until a deep golden crust has formed on bottom of the scallops. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the scallops are opaque & cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Serve: Spoon some coconut rice into individual bowls. Top with a generous spoonful of mango salsa. Top it off with 3-4 seared scallops. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice or sprinkling of extra cilantro, as desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Thawing frozen scallops: The key to safely thawing frozen meat & seafood is keeping it in a steady, cool environment. 2 easy options for thawing out frozen scallops:
- Set the scallops, in their packaging, in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- Submerge the scallops, in their packaging, in a bowl of cool water. Refresh the cool water every 15-20 minutes, or so. The scallops should thaw completely in 30-45 minutes, & you can proceed with prepping them (Step 2 of Recipe Directions, above).
- 10-minute meal prep: The majority of the prep time involved in this recipe is spent chopping the fruit & veggies for the mango salsa. Chop them all in advance, storing in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. At dinnertime, all you have to do is mix it all together & serve – so easy! (Note: Alternatively, you can mix up the salsa up to 3 days in advance, though I prefer the flavor when it’s freshly mixed.):
- Dice 1 small red onion
- Dice 1 small bell pepper
- Finely dice 1 small jalapeno (deseed as desired)
- Dice 1 medium mango
