Jalapeño Corn Soup with Seared Scallops

By Deli1

I love making big batches of soup on the weekend and saving the leftovers for work lunches all week. For dinner, I'll ladle this corn soup into a shallow bowl and float a few seared scallops on top. Then I'll enjoy the rest of the soup with a hunk of bread for lunch. The briny scallops make a great pairing with the sweet corn and spicy jalapeño.

The sweetness of the corn balanced perfectly against the jalapeños -- I kept "tasting" it as it cooked because it smelled so great and couldn't wait to purée it! The scallops were a great addition, though I also really enjoyed it with some crumbled bacon and microgreens (to feel healthy). One note: I was using end-of-summer gigantic corn from the farmers market so I needed to add some extra broth and cream to thin it out, but it was still delicious! Also, I used a hand blender but would probably recommend a true blender to get a smoother consistency. Great recipe!

Ingredients

• 9 ears of corn, kernels removed and 4 cobs reserved
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper
• 12 large sea scallops, preferably fresh and/or dry-packed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola or grapeseed
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large heavy pot or dutch oven. Add in the onion and jalapeño and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft but not brown. Add in the garlic and the corn kernels and cook for another minute or until fragrant, making sure that the garlic doesn't burn.

Pour in the chicken stock and cream and add the corn cobs. Season with a few large pinches of salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for about 45 minutes.

Discard the cobs and blend the soup until smooth. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Add the scallops to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until caramelized on the outside and just slightly translucent in the center.