The stars of this festive dish are succulent Legal Sea Foods Dry Day Boat Sea Scallops, paired with a delightful, aromatic mélange of roasted acorn squash and spinach puree. Flash-frozen within minutes of catch to lock in maximum freshness, with no chemicals or water added, these scallops sear beautifully, revealing a world of natural, delicate sweetness.
This recipe encourages judicious use of the unused parts of the squash. Store the leftover ends and seeds of the squash in the fridge to use later in seasonal soups, stews, and/or salads.
Brought to you by @chicagolovespanini
Ingredients:
- 1x24 pack Legal Sea Foods Dry Day Boat Sea Scallops, thawed to room temperature as per package instructions, gently patted dry with a paper towel, and sprinkled with salt and pepper
- 2 medium-sized acorn squash (about 1.5-2lb each), washed, cut into 1/2in thick slices crosswise, and seeds removed
- 1 lb baby spinach, washed and dried
- 1 medium-sized potato, washed, cut into cubes
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 medium garlic cloves, chopped + extra, if needed
- 4 tbsp avocado oil, divided + extra, for searing the scallops, if needed
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp dried cranberries, for decoration
- Fresh herbs and edible flowers, for decoration (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Place the squash in a large mixing bowl. Pour 2 tbsp avocado oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Rub the squash to make sure all slices/ends are covered with oil, salt and pepper uniformly. Place prepared slices on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until tender when inserting a fork, turning slices halfway through cooking.
- While the squash is roasting, bring a large pot of water with the cubed potato in it to a Throw spinach in boiling water and cook for about 30 seconds or until wilted. Remove from boiling water (reserve 1 cup water for later use) and place in a medium-sized bowl filled with cold water and ice cubes. Remove potato from water, too, and set aside. When slightly cool, remove spinach from cold water, and squeeze all the water out. Place spinach in a blender along with cooked potato, heavy whipping cream, garlic, and half of the reserved water. Blend until smooth, adding more of the reserved water if necessary to ensure smooth texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add extra garlic, if needed, as per your preference. Set aside.
- When squash is done, take it out of the oven, and place on a cooling
- Heat a large skillet (preferably cast iron or stainless steel) until very hot. Add 2 tbsp avocado oil. Place half of the scallops in the skillet about 1/2in apart to allow for proper searing. Cook for 2 minutes or until side is seared uniformly. Turn scallops on the other side, add 1/2 tbsp butter to the pan, and cook for about 1 minute or until side is golden brown. Set scallops aside on a plate. Cook the remaining scallops, adding avocado oil (if needed) and 1/2 tbsp butter halfway through searing, and making sure skillet stays very
- Divide ingredients evenly across 6 plates. Place one slice of squash on each plate, and fill the hollow middle with spinach Add spinach puree on the exterior of the squash, as per your design preferences. Place 4 scallops on the sauce and the squash, following a symmetrical design. Decorate with cranberries, fresh herbs, and edible flowers (the latter optional). Serve the dish warm. Store unused parts of the squash in the fridge for later use.
- Enjoy!
