Treat yourself to scallops with crispy chorizo for dinner tonight

A bit of spicy sausage tossed into savoury dishes can mean the difference between fine and oh my, delicious, writes Ann Maloney

The chorizo-enhanced sauce is so flavourful even non-scallop lovers would likely be delighted (Ann Maloney/The Washington Post)

Is everything better with crisped, cured chorizo? Of course not, but sometimes it can seem that way.

I’ve found that a bit of the spicy sausage tossed into savoury dishes can mean the difference between fine and oh my, delicious. It also can be a go-to if your ingredients are too mild or not quite up to snuff.

Take this dish: pan-fried scallops with crispy chorizo, a one-pan recipe from The Seafood Shack by Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick. They own a food truck in Ullapool, a small fishing village on the northwest coast of Scotland with a deep fishing history.

Their cookbook features about 80 recipes for dishes served at the restaurant, where the two friends cook whatever the freshest catch of the day might be.

About these bivalves, they wrote: “Our scallop diver will randomly pop his head in on any given day and say, ‘I’ve got some scallops for you,’ and within an hour they’ll be on the menu.”

Sounds dreamy, doesn’t it?

If I had scallops that fresh, I’d probably be so excited, I’d lightly sear them in bit of butter, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and dig in. Unfortunately, I – and I bet you – usually cook with less than fresh-from-the-water catch. That’s where the chorizo comes in.

This simple preparation calls for big scallops seared in hot fat. Then, chorizo, butter and herbs are added to pan and the scallops are basted as they caramelise on the outside (the recipe calls for specific fresh herbs, but you can substitute your favourites or use just one herb).

The resulting chorizo-enhanced sauce is so flavourful even non-scallop lovers would likely be delighted. I chose to balance the richness by serving it with steamed couscous, but you could choose rice or any favourite grain.

This idea of tossing just a little chorizo into dishes that need a little flavour boost is why I try to keep the sausage on hand.

If you want to try playing around with chorizo, you don’t need a specific recipe, just dice it, crisp it and add it to a salad, a quick blender marinara sauce, a plate of pasta, a baked potato and, of course, eggs of all kinds.

Pan-fried scallops with crispy chorizo

This simple preparation calls for fresh, big scallops. The chorizo and butter add a richness to the mild seafood. The recipe calls for specific fresh herbs, but you can substitute your favourites or use just one herb. Serve the scallops with couscous or rice and/or a fresh green salad.

This recipe creates a rich buttery sauce, but, if you prefer, you can make it with olive oil.

Storage notes: Refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Notes: When buying scallops, check labels and ask your fishmonger for dry scallops, which means fresh ones that are not chemically treated; they will sear properly. Wet scallops are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, a chemical that causes the scallops to expel water when cooked and can prevent a proper sear.

Do not substitute pearl, or Israeli, couscous, because it requires a different cooking method.

Total time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the couscous:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

200g plain couscous (see notes)

475ml water

¼ tsp fine salt

For the scallops:

16 medium/large scallops (about 680g) (see notes)

2 tbsp canola oil or another neutral oil

12 tbsp unsalted butter, thinly sliced

85g dry-cured chorizo, chopped small

3 tbsp chopped fresh chives

2 tbsp chopped fresh curly parsley leaves and tender stems

1 tbsp chopped fresh dill fronds and tender stems

Fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Lemon, cut into 4 wedges, for serving

Method:

Make the couscous: in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until shimmering. Add the couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until the grains begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the water and salt and stir briefly to combine. Bring the water to a boil, cover and remove the pan from the heat. Let sit until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff the couscous with a fork.

Make the scallops: while the couscous cooks, remove the side muscle from each scallop by pulling it off and pat the scallops dry. This keeps them from spitting when added to the hot oil.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the scallops. They should sizzle when they hit the hot oil. Cook without moving them until they are seared to a caramel colour, about 1 minute. Lightly season with salt and pepper, flip and cook on the other side until browned, about 1 minute.

Add the butter, chorizo, chives, parsley and dill, and as the butter starts to foam, baste the scallops for about 30 seconds. Keep your temperature at medium-high to help caramelise the scallops more as the butter melts, cooking 1 to 2 minutes, but adjusting the heat if the butter starts to burn. It’s OK if it browns and smells nutty.

Spoon the couscous onto individual plates and top it with scallops and some chorizo sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.

Nutritional information per serving (4 scallops, ½ cup couscous and about ¼ cup sauce) | Calories: 792; total fat: 50 g; saturated fat: 24 g; cholesterol: 136 mg; sodium: 937 mg; carbohydrates: 55 g; dietary fibre: 4 g; sugar: 0 g; protein: 28 g

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

© The Washington Post