Soy-Butter Basted Scallops With Wilted Greens and Sesame

This simple dish was inspired by a recipe for steamed scallop and butter rice found in “Donabe: Classic and Modern Japanese Clay Pot Cooking” (Ten Speed, 2015) by Naoko Takei Moore and Kyle Connaughton. Here, sweet sea scallops are seared in a hot pan and basted with melted butter and soy sauce to finish cooking. Tender greens are sautéed in garlic oil, then the scallops are placed on top and everything is drizzled with the remaining soy-butter and a bit of sesame oil. Finish the dish with a good squeeze of lime, thinly sliced scallions and a smattering of sesame seeds. It’s wonderful served over steamed white rice, so be sure to get that on the stove before you begin cooking the scallops, as the rest of the meal comes together in no time at all.

Ingredients

• 1

  pound large sea scallops, patted dry

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 3

  tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil, plus more as needed

• 2

  tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2

  tablespoons soy sauce

• 3

  garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• ½

  teaspoon red-pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 ½

  pounds baby spinach or other tender greens

• 1

  teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• Lime wedges, for serving

• 2

  tablespoons thinly sliced scallion greens

• Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

• Steamed rice, for serving

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Season the scallops well with salt and pepper. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil and, when it shimmers, add the scallops. Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes, until they begin to brown and form a crust on the bottom.
2. Flip the scallops, add the butter and soy sauce to the pan and use a spoon to repeatedly drizzle the sauce over the tops of the scallops to finish cooking, 1 to 2 minutes more.
3. Set the scallops on an oven-safe plate and pour the butter mixture on top. Place the plate in the oven to keep the scallops warm while you finish the rest of the dish.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil to the skillet and heat over medium. Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes, if using, and cook until the garlic is pale golden, about 2 minutes, adding a teaspoon or so more of grapeseed oil if needed. Return the heat to medium-high and add the spinach, in batches, if needed, and season with salt. Toss until the spinach wilts, adding a few teaspoons of water to help it along, if needed, and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat.
5. Add the scallops back to the pan and pour any residual butter-sauce over top. Drizzle the dish with sesame oil and a good squeeze of lime. Top with scallions and sesame seeds, if using, and serve with rice.