Scallops, Caramelized

By arthurlemay

This recipe goes great with Chinese rice noodles with snow peas recipe.

Ingredients

• 7 teaspoons sugar, divided
• 10 teaspoons water, divided
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• cooking spray, as required
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 16 large sea scallops (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 4 lime wedges

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 tablespoons water, fish sauce, ginger, lime juice, garlic and red pepper. Set aside.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and remaining 4 teaspoons water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking 2-3 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Remove from heat and carefully add the fish sauce mixture, stirring constantly. Keep warm.

On a large plate lined with multiple layers of paper towels, place the scallops in a single layer. Sprinkle black pepper over the scallops. Set aside.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Place the skillet over medium-high heat to pre-heat the pan. As soon as the skillet is hot, add the scallops. Cook 2-3 minutes per side or until desired degree of doneness (you want the scallops browned on both sides). Add the fish stock mixture, toss well and continue to cook until the sauce begins to thicken slightly.

Serve the scallops with lime wedges.

For a good pairing, serve these scallops with rice noodles with snow peas.