Seared Scallops with Blood Orange, Poached Celery and Dijon Vinaigrette

Directions

1. 1. Prepare your fruits and vegetables: -Zest the blood orange, and set the zest aside. Then, supreme the blood orange, catching any dripping juices in a small bowl. Try to keep the segments intact. -Slice the watermelon radish into very thin rounds—set aside. -Place your greens in a mixing bowl—set aside.
2. 2. Poach and prep the celery. Prepare a small bowl full of ice cubes and water—set aside. In a small saucepan, bring about 1 1/2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add the dry vermouth and return to boil. Drop the 4 inch lengths of celery into the saucepan and poach 2 minutes. Immediately drain the celery and plunge into the prepared ice water. When chilled, slice your celery into 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch sticks, cut into a small dice (cubes).
3. 3. Make your dressing. Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well, season with salt and pepper to taste—set aside.
4. 4. Sear the scallops. Pat dry, then generously salt and pepper both sides of the scallops. In a stainless steel sauté pan, heat the butter and olive oil over high heat until it shimmers and starts to brown. Toss in the thyme sprigs and swirl until fragrant. Immediately add the scallops, keeping them at least 2 inches away from each other, and press down gently with a fish spatula. Cook at medium-high heat for 1.5 minutes on each side, basting with the thyme butter as they cook. Remove scallops from pan to a paper towel-lined dish to drain.
5. Assemble the salad: Toss greens and radish with prepared dressing to taste. Place a layer of green mixture in a plate of your choosing. Slice each scallop into 4 wedges and place atop the greens, 2.5 scallops (10 wedges) per plate. Nestle the blood orange segments in with the scallops and greens. Sprinkle about 2T of poached celery per plate. Serve!