Scallops with Prosecco Butter Sauce

I love scallops!  Unfortunately, Chicago is not exactly known for fresh seafood.  We have to settle for the previously frozen stuff, which is obviously not as amazing as fresh caught, but still delicious!  Whole Foods has nice, large scallops if you can afford to pay a little bit extra.  Otherwise, you can find perfectly good scallops in the frozen section of most supermarkets.  My personal preference is Trader Joe's or Costco.  They usually run about $8-$10 per pound.  When you are ready to use them, simply remove the desired amount from the bag and place in a tepid water bath to defrost.  The scallops pictured above are wild Japanese scallops from Trader Joe's.  

What To Gather:

10-15 scallops
Olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 small grapefruit
 
Onion Puree
1 large white or yellow onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4 cup
chili flakes
salt, pepper

Prosecco Butter
3/4 cup Prosecco sparkling wine
2 tbsp shallots
6 tbsp butter

What To Do:

Onion Puree
Heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a pan.  Add the onions and cook, covered, on medium low heat for about 10 minutes.  Do not brown.  (If onions begin to brown, lower heat.)  Stir in salt, pepper and crushed pepper.  Cover and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes - until onions are very tender.  Spoon into blender or food processor and puree.  Set aside and keep warm if possible. 

While onions are cooking you can prep the grapefruit and the Prosecco butter. 

Grapefruit
Cut away grapefruit peel, including the pith, trying not to cut away too much of the fruit itself.  Supreme the grapefruit by slicing the fruit away from the pith. 

I was not able to photograph this process on my own so here are photos of an internet woman neatly accomplishing the task. Slice the supremes into smaller pieces and set aside.

Prosecco Brut Butter
Place 3/4 cup Prosecco and 2 tbsp finely chopped shallots in a hot pan. Boil until it has reduced to about 2 tbsp of liquid.  About 5 minutes.  Lower heat and whisk in the butter,  1 tbsp at a time. Add each piece before the previous piece has melted.  Remove from heat.  Cover and keep warm. 

Scallops and Plating

Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, at least 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, pat scallops dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add olive oil to hot skillet, swirling to coat, then sear scallops without crowding, undisturbed, until undersides are well browned, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to skillet, swirling skillet, then turn scallops over and cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute more. 

Spoon onion purée onto each of plate(s), then top with scallops, browned sides up, and diced grapefruit. Drizzle with Prosecco butter.  Enjoy!