Brown Butter Scallop’s with Champagne Risotto

I wanted to really wow my fiancé with a Valentine’s Day meal because that was his gift. That and hot wheels, because he asked for a car. I’ve made dinner almost every year for him for Valentine’s Day. Luckily for both of us, it’s gotten much better than the college days when I made Alfredo sauce with boxed noodles. You may be thinking “that sounds good!” That may be, but it was literally just mixing sauce with noodles. At least the Alfredo sauce was homemade, right?

He loves scallops, so I was excited to try a fellow Pittsburgher’s recipe: How Sweet Eats’ Brown Butter Scallops with Champagne Risotto (original recipe here).

I recommend a few things to really knock this out of the park. Make the risotto first, put a lid on it’s pan and let it sit while you make the scallops. Both of these things require constant attention, so do yourself a favor and cook it in steps. Also pre-measuring everything will be a lifesaver. I don’t always do this, but it makes cooking way easier… especially when recipes require all your attention like this one.

How Sweet Eats cooked her scallops in an iron skillet. I don’t have a iron skillet (if someone wants to buy it for me off my registry feel FREE :) ). I used a regular pan and it worked just fine. Mine were a little less “browned” than hers, but I also probably could have browned my butter a smidge more.

Scallops and Risotto Recipe:

Champagne Risotto

4 cups chicken stock

Olive Oil

4 cloves garlic (or 2 giant cloves), minced

Salt & pepper

1 1/2 cups risotto

3/4 cups champagne (I actually used Prosecco)

4 tbsp butter

1 cup grated parmesan

1. Heat the stock on low in a pot.

2. In a separate pan, heat the olive oil on medium low. Add the garlic and salt & pepper to taste. Cook until the garlic starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Add in the risotto, stirring often, and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes).

3. Add the champagne and cook until it’s absorbed, continually stirring.

4. When you have a small bit of champagne left in the pan, add 1 cup of your warm chicken stock. Continually stir the risotto as the chicken stock absorbs. When your chicken stock is almost gone, add another cup and repeat this process until you’ve used all of your stock from the pot. You’ll want to repeat this for 15-20 minutes and will want some liquid left for serving.

5. Stir in you butter and parmesan until melted. Put a lid on and take off your heat.

Herbed Brown Butter Scallops

3 tbsp butter

1 lb fresh scallops

Salt & Pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1. Pat your scallops completely dry. In a bowl, toss them with salt and pepper to coat.

2. Heat your pan over medium heat and add butter. Melt it down and let it brown. This may take up to 5 minutes. You want it to bubble.

3. Place the scallops in a single layer on your pan. Cook for about 2 minutes and flip. Cook for another 2 minutes. Turn your heat off and stir in garlic. Your scallops will continue to cook for another minute or so. Sprinkle in your parsley and chives.

4. Scoop risotto into a bowl and top with your scallops. Drizzle extra browned butter onto your dish and enjoy!