Toni Michael Chef
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№ 001 · Main · 2 hr · serves 2

Scallops

The pea puree in this dish comes straight from Well Done Cooking School from one of their foundational classes: Cooking Techniques - Fish. In class, it's paired with a cripsy skin salmon that changed my mind about seafood (I never liked fish - the smell, the texture, yuck - but now I'm realizing that it may have been that my only experience with "fish" was Red Lobster and I needed to try some of the good stuff to find an appreciation for it). In my rendition, I add a heftier amount of mint, pair it with scallops instead of salmon, and add a drizzle of a lime vinaigrette instead of a white wine butter sauce.

My first take with this dish was for my celebratory 9-course tasting menu and then I adjusted it slightly for Ryan's birthday surprise to be a main instead of a tasting. Funny story: Ryan actually hates peas, but is somehow happy with them when pureed into oblivion and served with scallops - go figure!

— Toni · 21 July · 2026
Ingredients
  • 6 U8 Scallops
  • 2 tbsp citrus vinaigrette, lime, no herb
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 oz fresh mint, stems and leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • Splash heavy cream
  • Olive oil to taste
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Salt/pepper to taste

Method

  1. 01 Place scallops in a single layer on a paper towel, cover with another paper towel and lightly press; place in fridge as-is to allow outer skin to dry out (this step will help get that beautiful sear later); let rest in fridge for at least 2 hours
  2. 02 Make citrus vinaigrette with lime and no herb, then store in fridge
  3. 03 Add peas, parmesan, lemon juice, mint, garlic, and heavy cream to food processer and blend
  4. 04 As it's blending, add olive oil slowly to help keep the puree moving/blending; once it's all moving nicely, no more olive oil
  5. 05 Taste, adjust, and re-blend as needed, then store in fridge --- Begin searing*/final plating stage ---
  6. 06 Remove scallops, pea puree, and vinaigrette from the fridge
  7. 07 Salt/pepper both sides of each scallop moderately
  8. 08 Add about a tbsp of neutral, high smoke point oil to a frying pan and turn heat to medium heat
  9. 09 Once the pan is visibly smoking, add your scallops and cook until there's a nice sear, about 3 mins
  10. 10 Flip and sear the other side, about 3 mins
  11. 11 Add butter to pan and use a spoon to baste the scallops
  12. 12 Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to remove some of the grease
  13. 13 Add pea puree to base of a small bowl, top with a tbsp of vinaigrette, then add your scallops and serve! *Assuming you'll be pairing this dish with other things, make sure to plan to sear the scallops last; scallops cool off very quickly and are much better straight off the pan (similar to scrambled eggs), so for the best quality, you want to do them last.
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