What, potatoes? Yes, potatoes. You can substitute sweet potatoes if you want.
This recipe is simple but elegant: fresh scallops seared in rosemary-garlic olive oil on a bed of pureed vegetables and topped with more fresh herbs and pine nuts.
The scallops add a big nutritional punch to the recipe: they’re full of iron and vitamin B12, and they’re a great source of selenium, which is important for gut and thyroid health.
The one thing they don’t really give you is Omega-3 fat: the fat from fish is rich in Omega-3s, but scallops are so lean that they just don’t have enough fat to deliver any significant amount.
Mixing potatoes half-and-half with cauliflower for this recipe adds all the benefits of brassica vegetables and also cuts back on the carb content a little bit, so it fits a bit better into a restricted carb budget. (Even so, it’s definitely not keto-friendly, and if you’re doing super-low-carb, it might not work at all with your day)
If you’re looking for a light dinner, this would be just the thing. Serve it as it is, or round it out with a side salad to add some color to the meal (spinach, walnuts, and cranberries would be good here).
Scallops With Potato-Cauliflower Purée Recipe
SERVES: 4 PREP: 15 min COOK: 25 min
Ingredients
- 12 sea scallops
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 cups cauliflower florets, roughly chopped
- 2 cups russet or sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ¼ cup pine nuts, roasted
- fresh chives, minced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Place the cubed potatoes, cauliflower, and vegetable stock in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high. Lower heat to medium and let simmer until the vegetables are soft.
- Season to taste and purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Keep warm. This will be your mash.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and fresh rosemary and stir for about 1 minute.
- Sear the scallops for 1 to 2 minutes per side, basting with the garlic and rosemary-infused oil.
- Season the scallops to taste.
- Serve the purée on small plates. Top each plate with scallops, pine nuts, and fresh chives.
Scallops With Potato-Cauliflower Purée Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 sea scallops
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 cups cauliflower florets roughly chopped
- 2 cups russet or sweet potatoes peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ¼ cup pine nuts roasted
- fresh chives minced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the cubed potatoes, cauliflower, and vegetable stock in a saucepan.2 cups cauliflower florets, 2 cups russet or sweet potatoes, 2 cups vegetable stock
- Bring to a boil over medium-high. Lower heat to medium and let simmer until the vegetables are soft.
- Season to taste and purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Keep warm. This will be your mash.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.2 tbsp. olive oil
- Add the garlic and fresh rosemary and stir for about 1 minute.3 garlic cloves
- Sear the scallops for 1 to 2 minutes per side, basting with the garlic and rosemary-infused oil.12 sea scallops, 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
- Season the scallops to taste.Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Serve the purée on small plates. Top each plate with scallops, pine nuts, and fresh chives.¼ cup pine nuts, fresh chives
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