Lightly seared scallops with lemon and herbs

Serves - 4 as a starter, 2 as a light main

You’ll need

• 12 large scallops, cleaned and patted dry
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 25g butter
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• Small handful chives, finely chopped
• Small handful dill, finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get everything ready

Pat the scallops dry really well with kitchen paper and season them lightly with salt and black pepper. Chop the herbs, zest the lemon and have everything ready to go before you start. Scallops are not interested in hanging about once the pan is hot.

2. Heat the pan properly

Put a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the butter and let it foam. You want the pan properly ready before the scallops go in – this is how you get that golden edge rather than something pale and slightly apologetic.

3. Sear the scallops

Lay the scallops in the pan with a bit of space between them. Cook for around 1–1½ minutes on the first side, without nudging them about, until they have a nice golden crust. Turn them over and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute on the other side. They should feel just cooked, still soft in the middle, not toughened into disappointment.

4. Add the lemon and herbs

Take the pan off the heat and add the lemon zest, lemon juice and most of the herbs. Give the pan a gentle swirl so the butter, lemon and herbs come together into a light sauce around the scallops.

5. Serve

Transfer the scallops to warm plates and spoon over the buttery lemon juices from the pan. Scatter over the remaining herbs and serve straight away while everything still feels fresh, warm and exactly as it should.

A couple of helpful notes

- The main thing with scallops is not to overcook them. A hot pan and a short cooking time is the whole game here.
- Make sure the scallops are properly dry before they hit the pan or they will steam instead of sear.
- These are very good with a simple green salad, some crusty bread, or a few crushed new potatoes if you want to turn them into more of a meal.