Seared Scallops with Lemon Oil

Ninety seconds a side. The lemon oil never touches the pan.

Serves 2. 15 minutes.

Ingredients

• 8 large dry-packed scallops
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for the pan
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp MOC Lemon Oil, to finish
• Sea salt
• Flaky salt, to serve

Method

1. Buy dry-packed. Wet-packed scallops are treated with phosphate solution, hold water, and steam instead of searing. They are usually the cheaper ones and they cannot be made to brown.
2. Pat them completely dry. Salt lightly.
3. Heat the neutral oil in a heavy pan until it just smokes.
4. Lay the scallops in, flat side down, with space between them. Do not move them. 90 seconds.
5. Turn, add the butter, baste for 45 seconds.
6. Off the heat and onto plates, then the MOC Lemon Oil and flaky salt.

Why it works

• A flavored oil at searing temperature is money burned. Neutral oil for the heat, lemon oil for the flavor, off the heat. That division is the whole technique.
• Space in the pan. Crowded scallops drop the temperature and steam.
• A scallop is cooked in three minutes. At four it is rubber.