I moved to the coast of NC when I was 12 years old (not from too far away, though). Little did I know this little place by the sea would be my favorite spot in the world, and I am proud to call it my home.
One reason is because I have access to fresh, local seafood so I can make recipes like this one for Sea Scallops in a Bourbon Jalapeno Cream Sauce!
Besides, anything with seafood and bourbon HAS to be good… right?!
Every year since I’ve lived here, without fail, I visit the North Carolina Seafood Festival. Seafood is our life here; it’s what drives our economy. The NC Seafood Festival recognizes the importance of seafood to my home in eastern North Carolina. The proceeds of the festival are donated to Carteret County non-profit groups that help with the event.
So now… after 25 years straight of attending this awesome festival… I have the total privilege of being a judge at the Chef’s Competition.
There’s also a Chef’s Tent on the Saturday of the festival that features chefs preparing seafood dishes right before your eyes using fresh local ingredients. While browsing the recipes to be featured this year, I fell in love with the idea of cooking (and eating!) this dish that is going to be prepared by Chef David Greenleaf of Windandsea Restaurant: Sea Scallops in a Jalapeno Cream Sauce.
I decided to make it, and added a little bourbon to the cream sauce… oh my word! And I cannot wait to see how Chef David prepares it.
Can you tell I’m a little excited?
So it’s probably understood that I eat a TON at the festival every year. That’s okay, though because I always run the Twin Bridges 8K Road Race that’s also an event of the NC Seafood Festival.
I’m sure it burns the 5,000 calories that I consume there, so it’s all good.
About this recipe: I just added a basic cream sauce with bourbon to finely diced jalapenos and minced garlic. I drizzled it over seared sea scallops and threw a little chopped fresh cilantro on top. Pretty simple, but looks and tastes like you spent an eternity preparing it.
Enjoy!
PrintSea Scallops in a Bourbon Jalapeno Cream Sauce
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 scallops
Description
A simple and delicious seafood dinner (or appetizer) that tastes like you spent hours preparing it!
Ingredients
For the scallops:
- 12 sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter, cubed
- Salt and pepper
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
For the bourbon jalapeno cream sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and finely diced (about 2 tablespoons)
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- â…“ cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
For the scallops:
- Sprinkle desired amount of salt and pepper over both sides of scallops.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, place scallops in saucepan. While scallops are cooking on the first side, add butter and lemon juice. Cook for 2 ½ minutes on each side.
- Set cooked scallops aside on a dish.
For the bourbon jalapeno cream sauce:
- Heat olive oil In a saucepan over medium high heat. Add minced garlic and diced jalapenos. Saute until golden, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add bourbon and stir well. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add heavy whipping cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in butter, salt and pepper. Simmer for an additional 2 minutes, or until cream sauce is slightly thickened.
- Drizzle cream sauce over cooked scallops. Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Seafood
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Bianca
Hi there! I’m excited to try this tomorrow night. Could I add shrimp to this recipe?
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Hi Bianca, you can add shrimp but I can’t give you exact directions because I’ve never cooked this with shrimp. Depending on the size of the shrimp you may have to cook them less time than the scallops and you may need to add more olive oil. Let me know how it turns out and I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Gary
This has been our go-to recipe for Sea Scallops for the past 2+years. Such an excellent and amazing recipe. We serve it over a bed of Cauli-Rice (total low carb goodness). If you want it spicier, add another jalapeño or some of the membrane / seeds of one. Really good – thanks so much for this recipe! Gary
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Wow thanks so much, Gary! I’ll have to tell my low carb friends about serving it over cauliflower rice, thanks! 🙂
Morgan
This was a lovely and delicious recipe to make. I would adjust the amount of jalapeños needed because my two large and spicy jalapeños from the grocery store would have been overkill if I hadn’t adjusted the recipe to half a pepper. I think cooking some of the jalapeño in the cream sauce would taste great as well, as I have done this for a tequila lime cream sauce recipe. Thanks
Marie Kratsios
(Corrected) My husband loves scallops, me, not so much. I made the Scallops with Jalapeño and Bourban Cream Sauce and served it over linguini. I added a little fresh corn into the sauce (because of the jalapeño) and because I didn’t have bourbon, I used Seagrams Seven Crown. My husband was in heaven. If I always eat scallops this way, you can count me as a scallop lover, too. 5 stars!
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Thanks so much, Marie. So glad you enjoyed it!
Marie Kratsios
My husband loves scallops, men it so much. I made the Scallops with jalapeños and bouban cream sauce and served it over linguini. I added a little fresh corn into the sauce (because if the jalapeño) and because I didn’t have bourbon, I used Seagrams Seven Crown. My husband was in heaven. If I always eat scallops this way, you can count me as a scallop lover, too. 5 stars!
Margaret Simone
Hi. Can the heavy cream be substituted with coconut cream or almond milk to make it dairy free?
Amy @ The Blond Cook
I’ve never tried it without heavy cream so I cannot say for sure. I hope it turns out well if you try it!
thenewmrs
this looks delish! Any suggestions on what I could use instead of the Bourbon whiskey… non alcoholic substitutes would be ideal! thanks so much 🙂
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Hi! You can try using rum extract, although I’ve never tested the recipe this way and can’t say exactly how it will turn out. Let me know if you try it and good luck! 🙂
Debbie
I didn’t have any whiskey either so I used sherry and it was delish. I also used shallots for the jalapenos. The whole dish was wonderful but next time,I’m definitely going to follow the ingredients to the letter. It sounds so good that I want to experience it as it should be. I also used lime instead of lemon.
Brooke
What’s a good side dish with this recipe? It looks amazing and we are having 3 couples over for dinner tonight.
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Sorry for the delay in responding. I always eat it with a salad. Hope you enjoyed it if you made it!
Olga
Would this work w very thinly pounder chicken breast? Much easier on the wallet. Looks amazing
Eileen
what a great recipe, easy but so delicious!
Theresa
I made this tonight for dinner. I added fresh mushrooms to the sauce and served over angel hair pasta. It was a big hit with the family. I have never cooked scallops before…2 1/2 minutes on each side was perfect! Thanks for the great recipe. It’s a keeper.
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Hi Theresa, thank you so much and I am glad you enjoyed them! I recently made these bacon-wrapped scallops for Our State Magazine that you will probably enjoy if you like sea scallops. Thanks for taking the time to comment! 🙂
Ann
Made this last night exactly as recipe described served over angel hair pasta. My husband was nearly speechless.. all he could say was “mmmmmmmmmmm” . A lovely seafood dish with a tiny bit of ‘kick’. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Amy @ The Blond Cook
Thank you so much, Ann! That makes my day. I am glad everyone enjoyed it!
Becca
This looks soooo good!
Lokness @ The Missing Lokness
Just looking at your scallops, I am starving! That cream sauce sounds amazing with the bourbon. It may go well with some rice or pasta. I have a little bottle of whisky at home. This recipe would be perfect. I can’t wait to make it next week!
foodie
I love your pictures and recipes, they are mouth watering. Would love for you to share them with us at foodieportal.com. Over at foodieportal.com we are not photography expert snobs, we are just foodies, so pretty much all your pictures will get accepted.