Creamy Pan-Roasted Scallops With Fresh Tomatoes
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼cup thinly sliced shallots or red onion
- Pinch of celery seeds
- Salt and black pepper
- 2cups chopped fresh tomatoes
- ⅔cup dry white vermouth, dry white wine or clam juice
- 4teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1cup heavy cream
- 2pounds sea scallops, patted dry
- ½cup chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
- ½cup chopped celery leaves or parsley leaves, or a combination, plus more for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
475 calories; 29 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 1018 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add the butter, letting it melt. Add shallots, celery seeds and a pinch each salt and pepper, and cook until the shallots are tender and opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook until jammy, 9 to 13 minutes.
- Step 2
Increase heat to medium-high and stir in vermouth. Cook until about a third of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add Worcestershire and cream, and simmer, reducing heat if needed and stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Step 3
Season scallops with salt and pepper, and add to the pan. Cook, uncovered, until scallops are just cooked through and opaque, 3 to 6 minutes, depending on the size of the scallops. Stir in chives and celery leaves. Serve immediately, garnished with more chives and celery leaves.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
marcy
a Mario Batalli tip - sear scallops on one side only, do not flip, remove from pan. When sauce done return scallops for only briefest of warmings. They're actually ready to eat after that one sided sear.
acecil
I'm curious about opinions on this recipe. I love a scallop with a good sear and in this recipe they are essentially poached. I'm thinking of searing my scallops and serving over the sauce. Thoughts? Anyone try this?
#enjoyagoodrecipe
Although I understand you wanting to sear the scallops I think of this recipe more like making shrimp scampi. The scallops are going to cook in the sauce while absorbing more of that delicious flavor. Just my thoughts…
Maromas
This is quintessential NYC Grand Central Oyster Bar! I can just see those men in starched white aprons and toques making it in their wondrously tiltable, gleaming copper pots behind the bar, steam rising, while I sip chilled Muscadet, Sancerre or Chablis. I am going to prepare this recipe for my 50th Anniversary this week.
David Baker
The best substitute for the cream would be to make something else. And by the way Greek yogurt is no more healthy than cream. Any way you cut it this is not an everyday meal so have a healthy vegetarian meal day before and after and then enjoy this dish guilt free
Martha
IMHO, I think this sauce would be wonderful with shrimp and even sole or another thin mild fish. I’ll be trying this with fennel seed instead of celery seed as I’m not fond of the flavor. Serving it with shaved fennel and orange salad and using the fronds as the garnish in place of celery leaves.
CYNTHIA
Just follow the recipe. Poached scallops are divine. They are always done this way in Thai cooking, which I also do.
Keith
While I love scallops with a good sear, I followed this recipe exactly. The key is day boat fresh, dry sea scallops. The taste is more subtle than searing them but I thought this was one of the best scallop dishes I have eaten. BTW, I found the suggested cooking times uniformly a bit too long.
JohnnyBubs
I would salt and pepper one side of the scallops then sear that one side of the scallops in butter with a couple tablespoons of rendered bacon fat. Once seared, but still raw, remove and plate the scallops. With the residual butter/fat, follow from Step 1 to the end. This provides the best of both seared and poached scallops with a little bacon flavor, which we all know has a flavor that is a match made in scallop & bacon heaven.
Marlena
Add 2 ears fresh corn off cob when finishing sauce ....
tbuckley
If you have had this at the Grand Central Oyster Bar… You will know exactly what you are in for. Go to GCOB on a cold afternoon this fall and treat yourself to the oyster pan roast. Life changer.
cmcerwin
Any ideas for a heavy cream substitute?
Pups224
I was thinking the exact same thing.
Steve
The ease of preparation to excellence ratio for this dish is very high. I made the sauce 2 hours before dinner time, then heated it up, threw in the scallops and herbs (which I had prepared ahead of time). Incredibly easy! My guests and I were stunned at how good this was. Thanks, Melissa!!
tomasfrias
exactly - I might cook the the shallots and the celery seeds first, remove, then sear the scallops, remove them and then proceed with the recipe, returning the seared scallops briefly at the end.
Kris
Great recipe.
Donna
This was delicious. Followed the recipe as is but did brown the scallops first, then add to the sauce. Next time will double the sauce and serve over homemade pasta. Will definitely make this again and sent it to my daughter already.
Amelia
I put this over linguine and it was divine.
Michael
This sauce is amazing and has lots of uses. You can do shrimp or some other seafood instead of scallops or you can use the sauce on your favorite pasta. Love it.
Ricardo A
Add garlic after shallots. Last time I added pasta sand it went pretty well
valerie m
Delicious recipe. I followed it except had to substitute celery seeds for a good quality celery salt and added shrimp, which was nice. When I do it next time I’ll put 2-3 tbs of Worcestershire sauce because I thought it was a pleasant taste but dominated the sauce.
Bhagirathi
Followed recipe using half clam juice and half wine, added smoked paprika and some garlic. Kept wishing I’d had a shellfish stock cube in the freezer but was out. And wish I’d cut down on the cream. For me the dish just needed deeper or more layered flavor than the clam juice and scallops could provide. Perhaps if I’d had vermouth on hand it would have made a difference? Loved poaching the scallops though. If I make it again it will be when I have shellfish stock on hand to add some depth.
risha
2 pounds of scallops is way too much We ended up using a third of what I bought and the rest went out with the trash bc there were just too many The sauce is amazing, just buy less scallops!
Elizabeth
Delicious. I used baby scallops and then tossed the sauce with linguine. I used fennel seeds too, as it's impossible to fine celery seeds.
Betsy
This is fantastic! Reading through the notes I ended up cooking up a little chopped bacon and adding to the sauce at the end, as well as searing the scallops in the bacon fat. Served it on top of grits and our guests said it was Michelin star worthy. This will be added to the list of options when we we have company or want something a little decadent.
jill
Made exactly the way the recipe is written. The most AMAZING scallops i have ever eaten.
Andrée Boisselle (Toronto)
Add tomato paste to the fresh tomatoes, and either fresh spinach or green peas to the sauce at the same time as the scallops. Serve with buttered crusty bread as shown in the picture, or with a toasted slice of oily focaccia. Beautiful meal, thank you Melissa!
Johnny
I turned this into a pasta with linguini fini. Added shrimp, used a little pasta water and parmigiano reggiano, and this made a great pasta sauce. Highly recommend
JJ
Like others in the comments, I prefer a little more color on my scallops, so I broiled them quickly and warmed them up in the sauce, adding in all the juices. I also swapped fennel seed for celery seed. Incredibly delicious, with the sauce being the star--you could honestly serve the sauce with anything and it would be great. Since scallops are are so pricy, next time I might do it with half scallops, half pre-cooked vegetables (potatoes, cauliflower, celery root).
size
1/2 the recipe is more than enough for two people. If using 1/2 the scallops make 3/4 of sauce. Add few pinches of red pepper flakes for additional flavor
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