Sautéed scallops with mushrooms & spinach sauce

Sautéed scallops with mushrooms & spinach sauce

A quick, impressive dish that's easy to prepare and cook, creating stacks of flavour within minutes

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 2

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 5 mins

Method

  1. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan. Once sizzling, add the mushrooms and fry for just a min or two before adding the spinach. Cook on a high heat for about 1 min, allowing the leaves to wilt and soften. Drain the leaves and mushrooms in a sieve or small colander set over a bowl, pressing them gently in the sieve to release the juices (the juices will provide the base for the sauce, so don't discard them). Keep warm to one side.
  2. Heat the oil in a separate clean frying pan. When very hot, add the scallops. Sauté for a couple of mins without disturbing them at all, then add a knob of butter to the pan. Turn the scallops, season with salt and pepper, then baste with the sizzling butter. Continue to cook for a further couple of mins until the scallops are ready.
  3. While sautéing the scallops, return the saved spinach juices to the pan the spinach and mushrooms were cooked in, then whisk in the remaining knob of butter to create the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and a grating of nutmeg.
  4. Now finish in style: Arrange spinach and mushrooms on plates or in bowls, sit the scallops on top, then spoon the nutmeg spinach sauce around.
Try

Adding flavours

A squeeze of lemon or lime juice can be added to the butter sauce. Or wholegrain mustard; just ½-1 tsp, can be whisked into the sauce to replace the nutmeg.

Cooking scallops

Don't pre-season the scallops before cooking as the salt draws the moisture out of them and gives them a tight texture. It is best to season with salt once they have been sealed in the pan.

Per serving

264 kcalories, protein 25g, carbohydrate 2g, fat 18 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 2g, sugar 1g, salt 1.59 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2006.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo dnolan

    2007-11-15 13:29:50.187021

    dnolan rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Wellsa's

    2008-02-07 21:26:17.16038

    Wellsa's rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Blueflame

    2008-02-17 20:17:11.384015

    Blueflame commented on this recipe

    Very quick and tasty dish!

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  • Binder photo Gbobs

    2008-03-23 17:21:53.764108

    Gbobs rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    true to form I didnt have all the ingredients!! but the recipe gave me ideas! Had the scallops of course, added chestnut mushrooms according to recipe. Also then added chopped onions till lightly brown, bit of garlic. Then added a touch of white wine and cream with plenty of salt and pepper. Laid out the mixture on the plate and then topped with the scallops was delicious! Sprinkle of fresh parsley on top mmmmmm

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  • Binder photo ljwarrington

    2008-03-25 13:23:11.729214

    ljwarrington rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    was a beautiful starter for my best friend's birthday meal - lovely. though found it difficult to get them looking tasty and brown.

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  • Binder photo TBJ

    2008-04-09 03:40:05.420864

    TBJ rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This was not only excellent, it was very easy (as opposed to the moderately easy rating). I served it with a little rice for starch.

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  • Binder photo Kathryn

    2008-09-26 10:08:55.674243

    Kathryn rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo SuzyJ

    2009-02-08 19:05:21.819028

    SuzyJ rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious, and easy. Was the first time I've ever cooked scallops and found this a perfect introduction!

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  • Binder photo Jittra

    2009-02-15 04:28:30.151834

    Jittra rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    It was really easy and looked impressive! I had a hard time trying to get the juice out of the mushrooms/spinach though. Maybe because my spinach was really dry (spinach salad) and I didn't wash it before. Yummy nonetheless!

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  • Binder photo Vic

    2009-02-16 12:13:19.254484

    Vic rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Scallops, yes. Spinach and nutmeg, yes. Mushrooms, hmmm. Wasn't sure about needing them, but the end result was superb, and the sauce very rich and buttery. Got a good colour on the scallops by having the heat at what I'd think would be too hot, but all good. Would possibly try again without the shrooms, and with some lardons or similar.

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  • Binder photo Ian Cole

    2009-08-26 13:26:49.538066

    Ian Cole rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Very nice quick and easy

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  • Binder photo Tony

    2010-05-02 13:09:19.96258

    Tony rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I love the taste of this dish. It's now one of my favourite starters

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  • Binder photo iburgess81

    2010-07-10 12:40:13.687025

    iburgess81 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great easy dish. Handy starter for a dinner party.

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  • Binder photo Gwen

    2010-12-04 20:33:54.381695

    Gwen rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Sparkler

    2011-01-23 13:55:27.830095

    Sparkler rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Surprisingly easy to make considering I've never cooked Scallops before.I served it with rice.

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  • Binder photo Jenny Piccolo

    2011-02-08 22:28:43.416511

    Jenny Piccolo rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Felt it needed bacon, so a bit lacking in flavour. Individual elements ok though

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  • Binder photo Lawrence

    2011-02-13 16:39:05.205052

    Lawrence rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Breathtaking starter for a special dinner.

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  • Binder photo vics

    2011-02-16 17:06:42.321844

    vics rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    made this for my husband for his valentines meal and he loved it very quick and easy to make will definitely make this again

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  • Binder photo Karen

    2011-02-19 19:15:43.469134

    Karen rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo JackieWoolnough

    2011-03-09 20:54:15.612133

    JackieWoolnough rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Cooked this for my bf's birthday meal - booootiful! My 8 year old daughter has not liked scallops before, but she loved this version and polished of the lot. So did my boyfriend - but that's not unusual! So easy too.

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Serves 2

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 5 mins

So quick to prepare

Ingredients

  • 3 big knobs of butter
  • 100g mushrooms , sliced (button, chestnut or cleaned wild)
  • 100g spinach , stems trimmed and washed
  • 2 tsp groundnut oil
  • 6 good-sized scallops , shelled and cleaned (with or without corals)
  • nutmeg , for grating
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Per serving

264 kcalories, protein 25g, carbohydrate 2g, fat 18 g, saturated fat 9g, fibre 2g, sugar 1g, salt 1.59 g

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