Pan-Seared Scallops with Avocado Gnocchi

December 5, 2017

Servings: 2-3

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 5 min

Total: 15 min

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Succulent scallops pair perfectly with a light avocado gnocchi. A great seafood dish that can be enjoyed year round!

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• Avocado Sauce (link to recipe in the instructions)
• 1 lb fresh potato gnocchi (16 oz bag)
• 3/4 lb fresh sea scallops, about a dozen
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 fresh lemon, cut in half
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

• Step 1 Prepare avocado sauce in a food processor. Check out the recipe here! Reserve until later.
• Step 2 Bring scallops to room temperature and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper on one side. We like to arrange them clockwise around a plate, since this is the way they’ll be arranged in the pan.
• Step 3 Heat enough salted water in a sauce pan to cover the gnocchi and bring to a boil. When boiling, add gnocchi and cook until the gnocchi starts to rise to the surface of the water, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a pasta strainer.
• Step 4 Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil when pan is hot.
• Step 5 Place the scallops seasoned side down, arranging clockwise around the pan. When you put the first scallop down, start a timer for 2 minutes (if you have an Amazon Alexa, ask her!)
• Step 6 Season the unseasoned side of the scallop (facing up) while the scallops are cooking.
• Step 7 When your 2 minute timer goes off, flip each scallop with a fork. Reset your timer for 2 more minutes.
• Step 8 Once the timer goes off, squeeze lemon juice over the scallops right before removing from the heat. Remove scallops to a paper towel lined plate before serving.
• Step 9 Toss gnocchi with avocado sauce (I used about 3 TBSP) and then plate with scallops. Serve with reserved avocado sauce.

I can’t believe that this is the first scallop dish we’ve posted! I am a scallop fanatic – it’s one of my favorite seafoods – and Marc is a pro at cooking them (thanks to our idol, Gordon Ramsay) so this protein was a go-to in our recipe archives. As you probably have started to learn about us, we love to be spontaneous in the kitchen and use what we have on hand and tonight was no different. We had 4 perfectly ripe avocados on hand, so I made this dreamy avocado sauce (so brilliant it gets its own post here) that pretty much pairs with anything you can dream up and served the scallops with fresh gnocchi. We didn’t get ambitious enough to make our gnocchi this time (we will at some point, I promise), so we used fresh gnocchi from our local Italian market instead.

This recipe is actually easy enough to whip up for a weeknight dinner (especially if you have the avocado sauce on-hand already), but we made it as a cozy Sunday night dish. Not surprisingly, all the scallops disappeared, but we did have some left over gnocchi I can save and serve with a dish later on this week. For those of you who are wary of cooking your own scallops, Marc has the scallop searing down to an art and the steps couldn’t be simpler. Follow along below and let us know what you think!

Step 1: Prep your scallops. Arrange around a plate, then season with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Once your pan is heated, add scallops, seasoned side down, clockwise around the pan.

Step 3: Cook for 2 minutes, season the top side of the scallops with more salt and pepper.

Step 4: Flip scallops with a fork and cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side.  When done, the tops should be just caramelized like this and the sides should be opaque (not glassy). The scallops should feel firm to the touch, but still slightly soft and springy (if they are too tough, they will taste rubbery!).