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Scallops With Miso-Mustard Cream Sauce

Source of Recipe

NY Times Adapted from Harumi Kurihara


Recipe Introduction

These were the best scallops I've ever made. The credit goes both to the wonderful recipe and to the Yellow Umbrella where I got the gorgeous dry, fresh, sweet sea scallops. This recipe was made by nakji on the dinner thread at eGullet and intrigued me. I really made this for Mike - he loves miso soup. I don't care for it all that much, so I figured it wouldn't be that exciting for me. But the sauce is wonderful - subtle and not overwhelming the sweetness of the scallops. The cream adds some richness and the mustard at the end a sharp note that is just perfect. What an incredible balance of flavors. nakji says, "I increased them cream to about a half cup, which made the sauce quite smooth, and perfect for bread-sopping." I followed that advice and the amount of sauce was perfect. I didn't change another thing.

List of Ingredients

12 sea scallops
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, cut in half
2 tablespoons white or medium miso paste
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon superfine sugar
Small bunch watercress, thick stems removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
½ tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons heavy cream [I used 1/2 c.]
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese.



Recipe

Salt and pepper scallops and rub with the garlic. Mix miso, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and 1 to 2 T. water - you want this to be pourable. Arrange watercress on a serving plate as a bed for scallops.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear scallops on both sides until lightly browned, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set scallops on a plate. Add wine to skillet, and stir, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Add the miso mixture to the pan, and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring. Turn off heat, and stir in mustard and cream.

Put watercress on a platter and top with the scallops. Put sauce on scallops and top with the cheese.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.