Sea Scallops with Asparagus Sauce

Asparagus season is almost over, but I think we’ll have this again next week!

(Note the purple stalk!)

I was able to get some super thin stalks of asparagus, which I think was a real advantage when I made the puree. The beauties of a farmer’s market – getting to pick the exact produce you want.

Sea Scallops with Asparagus Sauce
Adapted from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/sea_scallops_with_asparagus_sauce/ and http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Simple-Saute-Scallops-102311

½ pound asparagus
¼ cup chicken broth
1 ½ T butter
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
8 sea scallops
1 t smoked paprika
Ground black pepper

Break off the tough end of the asparagus and chop into 2 inch pieces. Boil for 5-8 minutes. To retain color, put asparagus in an ice bath when finished boiling. Use an immersion blender to puree asparagus with chicken broth. Put the mixture in a saucepan with butter. Melt butter and cook down to the thickness desired.

Meanwhile heat a sauté pan and add oil. Saute garlic until just golden brown. Add scallops and sprinkle with paprika. Cook scallops on medium heat for 15 minutes, turning mid way.

Spread asparagus sauce on plate, grind black pepper over the sauce, place scallops on the sauce and serve.

NOTES: The original recipe at simplyrecipes.com gives some great tips about cooking scallops and especially if you are using regular sized asparagus stalks. I have had success many times over with the scallop method from Recipezaar, which is why I used it again for dinner last night. It makes a mess of the pan because the garlic gets way overcooked in the oil. I just get the stuff off as quickly as possible, and then let the pan soak. Any leftover grime came off easily this morning. Again, check out the tips in the simplyrecipes.com version.