Poached Scallops with Garlic-Parsley Butter

I am in vacation mode and not in the right frame of mind for writing much today. Our Sunday night dinner was moved to Saturday night as we are off on a mini-vacation to Wildlife Safari near Roseburg, Oregon tomorrow. I've never been and am looking forward to the adventure. We are in an animal mood as last Monday we had the day off and went to the Portland Zoo.

Today I went to the local seafood market to see what "caught" my eye and I decided on the big bay scallops to use in a recipe I have made a number of times and it is always tasty. Served with the scallops, we had couscous with spinach and lemon zest and steamed green beans, our first harvest of them. It was a nice, light summer dinner and very quick to prepare!

Poached Scallops with Garlic-Parsley Butter

12 scallops (approximately 3/4 lbs of 1 inch wide scallops)

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 1/2 Tbsp butter

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced shallots

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 Tbsp dry white wine

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Pat scallops dry; sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat oil in non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add scallops and cook, turning once until opaque but still moist looking, approximately 4 minutes total. Transfer scallops to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add 1/2 Tbsp. butter, garlic and shallots to pan and saute for approximately 2 minutes until translucent. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, chicken broth, parsley, tomatoes, white wine and lemon juice; bring to a boil and cook 2-3 minutes. If desired, a dollop of cream can be added at this point to make a richer sauce.

Serve scallops over couscous with the sauce drizzled over the top.