Seared Scallops over Wilted Spinach & Jasmine Rice

Scallops.  Where I live on the coast of Eastern North Carolina, they’re pronounced “scollops”.  It’s funny how I can tell where someone is from most of the time just by that one little word.   One thing is for sure no matter HOW you pronounce “scallops” ~  they are awesome!

There are so many ways to prepare scallops; we like them ANY way.  This is how I prepared our scallops last night:

I was inspired by this recipe at SkinnyTaste.com, and decided to change it up.

If you’ve ever eaten overcooked scallops, you understand why it’s SO important not to overcook them.  The texture is like rubber!  So I paid special attention not to ruin these little jewels.  Here’s how it was done:

Start with rinsing the scallops and patting dry with a paper towel.  Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning and fresh ground pepper over each side of the sea scallops.  Melt some butter in a cast iron skillet or saute pan over medium high heat (I prefer the cast iron skillet).

Once the butter is melted, place the scallops in the pan.  Sear for about 2 ½ minutes on each side.

These handy little tongs make it easy to check the scallops while they’re searing.

Once the scallops are done, place them on a plate on a paper towel. Meanwhile, you’ll deglaze the pan you cooked them in by adding some pineapple juice.

It will start boiling and all those little bits of the scallops left over in the pan will break up into it to help flavor the spinach mixture.

Next, you’ll add some chopped red onion, pineapple chunks and mushrooms to the skillet and saute for about 3 minutes.  Then add spinach, about a hand full at a time, stirring until it cooks down.

Serve the spinach mixture over cooked jasmine rice and place the seared scallops on top.  Enjoy!

Seared Scallops over Wilted Spinach and Jasmine Rice

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• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

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Ingredients

• 1 pound sea scallops
• 1 (6 ounce) bag fresh spinach
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, reserve juice
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• 4 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
• Old Bay Seasoning
• Black pepper
• 1 ½ cups jasmine rice, prepared according to package directions to yield 3 cups of cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon butter

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Instructions

1. Rinse scallops and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Sprinkle scallops with pepper and Old Bay seasoning on each side.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
4. Place scallops in skillet and sear for approximately 2 ½ minutes on each side.
5. Remove scallops from skillet, place on a plae and set aside.
6. In the same skillet over medium high heat, pour juice from pineapple can (about ⅓ cup) in skillet to deglaze; stir.
7. Add onions, pineapple chunks, and mushrooms.  Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
8. Add spinach, a handful at a time, while stirring until cooked down.
9. Serve spinach mixture over cooked jasmine rice and top with seared scallops.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Category: Seafood
• Method: Saute
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: seared scallops with spinach over rice