seared scallops with tomato butter

I'd never attempted to make scallops before because I used to think of them as potential for disaster--something expensive I could easily ruin, if off by a mere minute or two. But now that I've watched so many episodes of Top Chef, I kind of feel like I could sear them in my sleep. That's how many times those cheftestants turned to scallops. And now I know why. They're incredibly fast to make, they pair well with butter, acid, and bacon, which covers a lot of territory, and everyone loves them.

This recipe is from Russ Parsons's How to Pick a Peach, and it's an entirely satisfying, luscious kind of dish with very few ingredients. Basically, you let some cherry tomatoes mingle with some tarragon, steep diced shallots in butter, and then pour the butter over the tomatoes, causing them to wilt a bit. Then you sear some scallops and bring it all together. The smell of fresh tarragon against butter and shallots is rather transporting, and I even relinquished some of my fear of butter. It wouldn't be so bad to be French, I thought.

Adapted from How to Pick a Peach by Russ Parsons. Serves 6. (I made scallops for two, but made the tomato butter recipe in its entirety because I didn't want to fuss with half-teaspoon measurements and because it would go well with these collard squares I made for a side. My collard greens turned out a little dry and overcooked in my zeal to use up extra Gruyère and achieve a golden-brown cheesy crust (old habits die hard), so the extra sauce did come in handy. My friend consumed many of the extra portions while I watched in terror, but I think this is a relatively healthy recipe if you are aware that 4 tablespoons of butter should serve six, not two.)

• ½ pound cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1¼ teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
• 1½ teaspoons minced shallots
• up to 2 pounds sea scallops (I used a little more than ½ a pound for two persons, or about 6 scallops each.)
• Salt
• Red wine vinegar (optional)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I seared the scallops in butter instead because they were going to end up in butter, and I felt I would get a better sear).

Quarter tomatoes and combine in a bowl with the tarragon.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until they soften and become fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove butter from heat and let cool 2-3 minutes.

Prepare scallops by removing the small, tough "foot" muscle attached to one side. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. (It's very important to have them dry before you attempt a sear.)

Pour butter over tomatoes and stir gently to combine. It should be hot enough to soften the tomatoes but not so hot as to cook them through. Season with salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon) (I used kosher salt and used 1 teaspoon). If the tomatoes lack acidity, add a few drops of red wine vinegar. (I really wish I had done this--I overlooked this step but think it would have brightened up the sauce and made it perfect).

Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat. Add the oil and heat until it is smoking. (I used a regular stainless steel pan and butter). Place the scallops in the pan and cook until they are browned and crusty on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn the scallops over and brown on the other side, about another 3 minutes. They should be slightly translucent in the center. (My scallops weren't the huge diver-size ones I think he means, so I only cooked them 1-2 minutes each side--just long enough for them to be brown on each side. I put the larger ones in the pan first and took them out last.)

Plate scallops and spoon tomato butter over the top.

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