Golden, pan-seared scallops with a delicate butter finish, paired with a refreshing salad of crisp greens, cucumber and orange. Our citrus-Dijon dressing brings brightness and balance to this restaurant-inspired dinner for two. With Kitchen Co-op, one chef handles the scallops while the other prepares the salad and plates.
Your Kitchen Co-op
Scallops & Searing
Dry and season the scallops, preheat the pan, sear both sides, butter-baste and check doneness.
Salad & Plating
Prepare cucumber, orange and greens, whisk the citrus-Dijon dressing, assemble the salad and coordinate plating.
Equipment
Henssler frying pan, IKEA induction cooktop, mixing bowl, small dressing bowl, sharp knife, chopping board, paper towels, tongs or fish spatula, spoon, instant-read thermometer and two serving plates.
Ingredients
Check off each ingredient as you prepare it.
Pan-Seared Scallops
Citrus-Dijon Salad
Mise en Place
Prepare the Scallops — 5 min
If using frozen scallops, thaw them completely in the refrigerator first. Remove any tough side muscles. Pat each scallop thoroughly dry with paper towels. Keep chilled until shortly before searing.
Prepare the Salad — 7 min
Wash and thoroughly dry the greens. Cut the cucumber into thin ribbons or slices. Peel the orange and separate into clean segments, removing excess white pith. Divide the components between two plates, leaving space for the scallops.
Whisk the Dressing — 3 min
Combine 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard and ½ tsp honey. Slowly whisk in 2 tsp olive oil until lightly emulsified. Season with salt and black pepper. Keep separate until serving.
Ready to Cook?
Start the timer when Chef 1 begins preheating the pan.
Coordinated Cooking Timer
Tap any stage to jump to that timestamp and automatically start the stopwatch.
Ready to cook.
Timeline assumes all scallops fit in one uncrowded batch. If necessary, cook in batches and extend the timeline. Scallop size and starting temperature affect cooking time. Confirm doneness rather than relying on the stopwatch.
Let's Cook Together
Preheat the Pan — 2 min
Set the IKEA induction cooktop to 7/9. Preheat the Henssler pan for approximately 2 minutes. Add 1 tbsp neutral oil. The oil should shimmer without smoking.
Season the dry scallops lightly with salt and pepper immediately before placing them in the pan.
Sear the First Side — 90 sec
Place the scallops flat-side down in the hot pan, leaving space between them. Do not move or press them.
Sear for approximately 90 seconds until a golden crust develops.
Flip & Sear the Second Side
Flip each scallop carefully. Reduce induction to 6/9. Cook the second side for approximately 45 seconds before adding the butter.
Garlic-Butter Baste — 45–60 sec
Reduce induction to 5/9. Add 10 g butter, lightly crushed garlic and optional thyme.
As the butter foams, tilt the pan slightly and spoon the butter over the scallops for approximately 45–60 seconds.
Check Doneness & Remove
Check the thickest scallop with an instant-read thermometer. For fully cooked scallops, aim for 63°C internally.
If needed, continue gently cooking and recheck. Turn induction OFF and transfer the scallops to a clean plate. Avoid leaving them in the hot pan.
Dress the Salad
Whisk the dressing briefly again. Spoon a restrained amount over the greens, cucumber and orange segments. Keep the salad crisp and lightly dressed, rather than saturated.
Plate & Serve
Divide the scallops into a slightly larger and smaller serving. For 10 scallops, use 6 for the larger plate and 4 for the smaller. For 8 scallops, divide 5 and 3.
Arrange beside the citrus-Dijon salad. Spoon a small amount of warm pan butter over the scallops, avoiding the salad. Serve immediately.
Michelin-Inspired Plating
- Build the salad base: Arrange a small, airy nest of greens to one side of each plate. Leave open space for the scallops.
- Add cucumber and citrus: Fold cucumber ribbons loosely around the greens and tuck orange segments between them for color.
- Arrange the scallops: Position the scallops in a gentle curve with their golden seared surfaces facing upward.
- Finish the dressing: Spoon a little citrus-Dijon dressing over the salad without covering the scallops.
- Finish with butter: Spoon a controlled amount of warm garlic butter around the scallops. Keep the plate rims clean.
Nutrition & MyFitnessPal
Estimates assume 10 medium scallops providing approximately 300 g total edible weight, with the larger portion receiving 60% and the smaller 40%. The vegetables, dressing, oil and butter are allocated proportionally. Actual values depend on scallop size, oil retained in the pan and ingredient brands. For 8 scallops or a different total weight, recalculate before logging.
| Nutrition | Larger | Smaller |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | ~340 kcal | ~230 kcal |
| Protein | ~31 g | ~21 g |
| Carbs | ~21 g | ~14 g |
| Fat | ~15 g | ~10 g |
MyFitnessPal — Larger Portion
TwoFoodies Pan-Seared Scallops with Citrus-Dijon Salad — Large | 340 kcal | Protein 31 g | Carbs 21 g | Fat 15 g
MyFitnessPal — Smaller Portion
TwoFoodies Pan-Seared Scallops with Citrus-Dijon Salad — Small | 230 kcal | Protein 21 g | Carbs 14 g | Fat 10 g
