Scallops Charleston

On my premier trip to Trader Joe's I was so impressed by their great selection of frozen fish. Normally when I go to the regular grocery store to get fish I have a couple of options: tilapia, salmon and catfish (errr no thank you to the latter, reminds me too much of the lake). So, when I saw that Trader Joe's had salmon (ok we're even so far), ahi tuna steaks, mahi mahi, and scallops all frozen, I was ecstatic and bought a ton.

I saw a nice 1 pound bag of frozen scallops, and I had to grab them. I made this wonderful Seared Scallops & Pasta in Garlic White Wine Sauce (phew, that's a mouthful!), and I was inspired to make another scallop dish. Originally I thought I would remake my first success, but I finally decided that I should give another dish a go. This recipe is courtesy of The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook that John's grandmother Mimi gave me.

This was amazing!! I was honestly pretty shocked!! The sauce - delicious. I am going to make it again asap, but with some beef this time. Maybe tenderloin? Either way I think it will be amazing. Dark colors don't always make for my favorite pictures, but trust me, this is fantastic. 

Ingredients:
*1 1/2 pounds sea scallops (whoops, I only grabbed a pound. I basically kept the recipe the same but slightly cut down on wine, mushrooms, cheese & butter)
*1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
*1/4 teaspoon paprika
*1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
*3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
*3/4 cup sherry or dry white wine (I used the wine)
*1 shallot, finely chopped
*8 ounces (or less) fresh mushrooms, quartered (I used 8 Baby Bella "Cremini" mushrooms and cut them in 1/8s because I'm not normally a mushroom person)
*2 tablespoons butter
*1 cup grated Gruyere cheese (I've been using this so much lately!)
*salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
*Season scallops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and basil. Dust scallops with flour.

*Saute in a pan that has been lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray and a small amount of olive oil. Cook scallops on both sides until browned (medium-high to high heat; 2 minutes each side). Remove scallops from pan.

*To the drippings in the pan, add sherry/wine, shallots, and mushrooms. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes (or about 5 if you are me!).

*In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons flour. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly.

*Pour shallots, mushrooms and liquid from scallops into flour mixture. Mix well. Stir scallops into sauce. (If too thick you can thin with fish or chicken stock - - mine was, but all I had was beef stock and it still tasted great!)

*Transfer to four individual baking dishes (or one dish if you're me and that's all you have!), top with cheese, and broil for 1-2 minutes, until browned.

*I recommend serving with broccoli to keep it light.

Scallops plus seasoning

All mixed up

Mushrooms!

Searing away

Lots of juices!

These are my "drippings"

Mushroom sauce - so good!

Flour and butter mixture

Sauce!!

Fresh out of the oven

So good!