Name: Butter-Basted Scallops with Apple Cider Brown Butter
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 2 cups apple cider; 1 bay leaf; 1¼ lb. large scallops; Salt; 4 tbsp. (½ stick) butter; 2 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane or minced; 4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked; 1 tbsp. whole grain or Dijon mustard; 1 tbsp. chopped chives; 1 tsp. red chile flakes, such as Aleppo or gochugaru

“Butter-basting scallops is about as sexy as seafood cooking gets. Once the scallops are golden brown, add a couple tablespoons of butter, and once the butter is nutty, aromatic, and delightfully golden brown, use a spoon to lovingly pour the foaming butter over the scallops. This further enhances the flavor by depositing caramelized butter solids on top. And it’s just a lovely way to spend time.” That’s the advice of Barton Seaver in The Blue Food Cookbook, which he co-wrote with the chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern. “The butter, now infused with scallopy goodness and a rich mahogany hue, is then combined with reduced apple cider and mustard to emulsify into a pungent, salty, sweet sauce that looks as beautiful on the plate as it is delicious. Try serving this over grits cooked with thyme and you will be autumnally happy.”

Read our Q&A with Zimmern here.

Preparation

Pour the cider into a small saucepan, add the bay leaf, and place over medium heat. Reduce the cider to ½ cup, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the bay leaf, and reserve the liquid.

Place the scallops on a plate, season with salt, and let them rest for 10–15 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. Melt 1 tbsp. of the butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Place the scallops in the pan and cook, undisturbed, for 3–4 minutes, until deeply colored. Flip the scallops and add the remaining 3 tbsp. butter, the garlic, and thyme to the pan. Tilt the pan toward you and use a large soup spoon to baste the scallops with butter. Cook this way for about 1 minute. Remove the scallops from the pan to a serving platter. Turn the heat down to medium and add the cider reduction and mustard. Bring to a simmer and whisk to emulsify with the butter. Remove from the heat and add the chives and chile flakes. Spoon the sauce over the scallops and serve.