Welcome back to some more of my favorites! Again, I do not measure ingredients, it's a waste of time and there's no need to be so pedantic about it. This isn't baking.
Ingredients: Diver Scallops. These are the big ones. Wild Caught is best of course.
1 or 2 Lemons
Garlic. Healthy amount. I use a lot.
Fresh Basil
Butter and EVOO
Salt
First cut your carlic into small pieces. Chopped, not minced. Get the cast Iron pan hot. High heat. Then throw in the olive oil. When it starts to simmer, place the scallops on there and let them cook for about a minute, you want a nice brown crust. Then flip them and do the same but only 30 seconds this side and turn the heat down and bring pan off the burner. You don't want to cook the scallops to much or they become hard, you just want that nice crust. Do not move scallops, once you set them down, leave them (other than flipping them obviously).
Now throw in tons of butter and the garlic, and let them simmer together. You can place them back on the heat, low-mid is good. Salt them. You can also salt them prior to cooking. I don't notice a difference (unlike steak where you want to salt at least 45 min before cooking). Now after they've basted in garlic butter, throw in some lemon juice from one lemon, and cut the other one into pieces and throw them in right at the end or just plate them. I wouldn't leave scallops in there for longer than 1 minute. So 1 minute each side and 1 additional basting. It's gonna cook fast. You still want them tender in the middle, not soft, but soft enough. You'll know when you've over or undercooked them. That's how we learn. That's alright.
Plate the lemons if you haven't already then plate the scallops and garnish with fresh basil.
Pro tip: Make them for breakfast. It's fire.
by z-Routh