Scallops With Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Puree

You can keep the scallop shells to use in table decorations.

An impressive recipe for a Thanksgiving table, scallops with butternut squash and sweet potato puree requires extra attention during cooking. Although butternut squash and sweet potato puree is an easy-to-make side dish, scallops toughen easily. And if you are distracted even for a few minutes, you risk overcooking them. However, the cooking process per se is not challenging, and it takes less than 3 hours from preparation to serving. Does this Spark an idea?

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8 to 10 extra-large scallops
Damp cloth
Foil or plastic wrap
2 large sweet potatoes
1 lb. butternut squash
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cinnamon stick -- 2 inches long
Coarse salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Instructions

- 1
  
  Remove the scallops' shell. Use a knife to cut off the orange-colored roe of the scallops, and keep only their white part. Carefully wipe off any grit the scallops may have, with a damp cloth.
- 2
  
  Place the scallops on a damp cloth, on their largest side. Divide each scallop in two parts, with a horizontal knife cut. Lay all scallop pieces on the damp cloth, place it on a tray, cover the tray with foil or plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge.
- 3
  
  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the two large potatoes and the butternut squash in half vertically, and remove the squash's seeds.
- 4
  
  Place the potatoes and the squash on a baking pan, with their cut sides facing up. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and bake them at 375 degrees for 90 minutes.
- 5
  
  Remove the soft interior of the potatoes and the squash. Mash them together to create a smooth mixture.
- 6
  
  Mix 1 cup of orange juice and 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a saucepan, and throw in a 2-inch cinnamon stick for aroma. Cook over medium heat until the mixture is reduced to approximately 1/4 cup.
- 7
  
  Discard the cinnamon and add the mixture, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, to the sweet potato and butternut squash puree, and stir.
- 8
  
  Take the scallops from the fridge, and season them with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan, and add olive oil -- just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the scallops to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.
- 9
  
  Add unsalted butter to the pan -- one ounce for every ounce of olive oil you have poured -- and continue cooking the scallops for another 90 seconds. When you see the scallops turning from translucent to opaque, it means they are done.
- 10
  
  Turn the scallops, and cook for another 60 seconds before removing them from the pan. Season the scallops again with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve them, along with the still-warm butternut squash and sweet potato puree.