Scallops With Carrot Cream And Basil

Ingredients

Carrot cream

1/2 pound carrots, cut into large dice (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cream
freshly ground pepper

Pickled carrots

1 large carrot, sliced into short ribbons using a vegetable peeler (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar

Scallops

1 pound sea scallops
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon high-heat vegetable oil

Herb oil

3/4 cup packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as canola or safflower

Directions

For the carrot cream

1. Add the carrots and salt to a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

2. Drain the carrots and add them to a blender along with the cream and a pinch of pepper to taste. Blend until the mixture is a very smooth purée and set aside.

For the pickled carrots

1. In a medium bowl, toss the carrots with the rice wine vinegar. Marinate the carrots for at least 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the vinegar for another use, and set aside.

For the scallops

1. Dry the scallops with paper towels. Place them on a plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and, when it is really hot, carefully add the scallops to the pan, being careful not to splatter oil on yourself or crowd the pan with too many scallops.

2. Cook the scallops for 2 minutes on one side without disturbing them, or until they are caramelized, then flip, cooking the other side for only a minute or so more.

For the herb oil

1. In a blender, combine the parsley, basil, olive oil, vegetable oil and salt. Blend until the oil turns a vibrant green color, about 3 minutes. You can strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer if you’d like or leave it with some texture.

2. Transfer the oil to a bowl, or if you’d like to be all fancy-pants, feel free to transfer it to a squeeze bottle.

For serving

1. To assemble the dish, gently reheat the carrot cream, then spoon some on each of 4 plates. Top each plate with several scallops.

2. Drizzle some herb oil around the scallops and garnish with a sprinkling of pickled carrots and minced basil leaves.

Paired with Mary Ryan "The Shift" Chardonnay