Scallops with Caramel-Orange Gastrique

In the spirit of Sweetheart Sunday, even though Sweetheart himself is out of town this weekend, I did seafood, and took advantage of his absence to do something with scallops, which my dear husband really dislikes. From Around My French Table , a little whipped-together scallop fry in a gastrique. Dorie Greenspan advises trying the juice from squeezed oranges as the acid for this dish, and she was right, it was good. I was also trying Kirkland frozen scallops to see how dreadful a substitution it would make in desperate times when fresh scallops are unavailable (wink). I don’t know if it was the recipe, but while fresh scallops would’ve been amazing, frozen ones were fine for a get-it-on-the-table dish, for sure.

This was a very quick treatment for scallops – whip the gastrique together, set it to the side, briefly pan-fry the scallops while candying some zest, plate a couple of quick sides, and you’re outta there.
Just a few ingredients:



Didn’t have time to listen to my playlist (really enjoying Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices on the Asthmatic Kitty label tonight)!

 
I absentmindedly tossed the orange peels in the trash without zesting them first, so ended up candying some lime peels to toss on top of the finished scallops. Candied orange peels would’ve been by far more attractive, particularly on my plating, which included broccoli and a green salad. Blah visually (entirely my fault - she recommends carrots) but tasty:




Note to self for future reference: the two pound Kirkland bag of jumbo scallops contained 14 large scallops. We had 5 people eating this dish, and I followed serving guidelines and felt like it wasn’t enough. In the future I’d figure 3 or 4 scallops per lighter adult appetite and 5 each for my teen males, in addition to whatever side dishes. Fortunately my males know how to run in the kitchen and make a quick sandwich when this happens! Do you suppose French teen boys eat more lightly? Baguettes to the side, how could I have missed it?

Good quick dish; thanks Dorie Greenspan!