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Prep time
10 minutes
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Cook time
20 minutes
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Serves
2
Author Notes
Simple ingredients soar in this quick, anytime meal. Pairing crunchy, juicy, raw snap peas with the deeper flavor of cooked ones is easy enough, and a perfect foil to the powerful, salty funk of miso mustard. Cook the snap peas until they soften and brown in places, then just kiss them to the pan on the second side, so that they remain bright green and don’t overcook. Add the briny sweetness of scallops, and you have a surprisingly dynamic dish. While diver scallops are the freshest and most responsibly sourced, they also come at a premium. Feel free to scale down the quantity and serve the dish alongside rice, or slather some miso mustard onto toast and pile everything else on top. —Melina Hammer
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Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
plus 1 teaspoon white miso
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2 tablespoons
Dijon mustard
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1 teaspoon
maple syrup
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2 teaspoons
sesame seeds
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8 to 14
large diver scallops
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1 pound
sugar snap peas, any stringy bits removed
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Extra-virgin olive oil, for sautéing
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2 tablespoons
salted butter, divided
Directions
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In a small bowl, mix the miso with 1 tablespoon of hot water to loosen. Stir in the mustard and maple syrup until uniform. Taste and add a little more maple if you want a sweeter sauce. You can also add a bit of water to thin it out if needed.
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In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the sesame seeds until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a small dish so they don’t burn.
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Pat the scallops dry and set on a tray or plate.
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Add enough olive oil to coat a large cast-iron skillet and set it over medium-high heat. Add two-thirds of the snap peas (ideally the larger ones) and sear, undisturbed, until browned and softened, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another minute, just to soften, then transfer the peas to a large dish.
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In the same pan, add a drizzle of oil and swirl to coat. Add half of the scallops, evenly spacing them out, then immediately add half of the butter and drag it around the scallops as it foams. Don’t move the scallops as they cook. After 4 minutes, once they are caramelized and golden, turn the scallops. Repeatedly baste the scallops with the hot fat for another minute, then transfer them to the dish with the cooked peas. Repeat with the remainder of the scallops, adding in more oil and the last of the butter as you did the first batch.
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Swirl some miso mustard onto each of two plates, bringing the remainder to the table to add more if needed. Divide the cooked snap peas between the plates, then add all but 6 of the uncooked peas. Nestle in the scallops, slice the remaining 6 snap peas in half lengthwise to arrange as garnish, and shower with sesame seeds.
Melina is the author of 'A Year at Catbird Cottage' with Ten Speed Press. She grows an heirloom and pollinator garden and forages wild foods at her namesake Hudson Valley getaway, Catbird Cottage. Melina loves serving curated menus for guests from near and far seeking community amidst the hummingbirds, grosbeaks, finches, and the robust flavors of the seasons.
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