Sugar Seared Scallops & Parm Risotto

My final from school was coming up when I found this recipe, the timing was perfect because I knew our final was going to be preparing risotto milanese. I wanted to prepare something similar to get a feel for making it how the consistency should be etc. and I came across this recipe on pinterest. It was fantastic!! I will be making this one a lot more I'm sure. I love scallops as you can tell I have a few other posts that include recipes with scallops. I ventured a little away from the exact recipe I had found, and I put the tops and bottoms of the scallops in sugar then into the skillet and cooked them that way. Scallops naturally have a sweetness to them, so this just enhances that and it is so good. If you do not want to do that you can just sear them using butter. Either way they will be fantastic.


Gather ingredients before beginning:

Parmesan Risotto
Servings: 3 • Size: 3/4 cup • Time: 30 minutes
*1 cup arborio rice
*2 tsp butter
*1 shallot, minced
*1/2 cup white wine
*4 cups fat free chicken stock
*salt and pepper TT
*1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
*2 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat chicken stock in a small pot.

In a medium size heavy sauce pan, add butter on medium-low heat. Add shallots, sauté about 1 minute. Add rice mixing well until well coated and transluscent, about 2 minutes. Add wine, salt and pepper and mix well until it is absorbed into the rice. Ladle 1 cup stock into rice and mix until all stock is absorbed, add another ladle, and continue adding and stirring until all broth is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and parsley, mix well and serve.

Seared Scallops
Servings: 3 • Size: 5 oz • Time: 10 minutes
*16 oz (about 12-14) sea scallops
*salt and fresh pepper
*2 tsp butter
*Enough sugar to coat bottom and tops of scallops

Wash scallops and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper. Cover ends in sugar. Heat a medium size pan on a high flame. When pan is hot, melt 1 tsp butter and place half of the scallops in the pan. Sear without touching them for a few minutes until the bottom forms a nice caramel colored crust. Turn over and cook about another minute or 2, until the center is slightly translucent (you can check this by viewing them from the side) and the bottom is seared. Be careful not to overcook. Remove from the pan and set aside on a warm plate. Add additional tsp butter and cook remaining scallops.