So, I’m almost two-thirds of the way through my self-imposed Fall-2009-Gourmet-only restraint for November, and I will admit, it’s a lot harder than I thought. I’ve been staring longingly at my Bon Appetit’s, knowing, as I assume the editors at Conde Nast did, that the recipes in BA are a lot more home-cook-full-time-worker friendly. While Gourmet has made the after-thought attempt at the weekday-friendly recipes (and some are quite good), the majority of the magazine is dedicated to 3 hour+ long recipes with ingredients that, quite frankly, I’ve often not heard of. And this is (or, I suppose, was) Gourmet’s tragic flaw – so achingly aspirational, beautiful, untouchable, but in no way practical for the busy home cook trying to eat well on a budget.

With my lamentations out of the way, I will say that, after much, much digging, I was able to find a recipe in the October 2009 issue that sounded both mouth-wateringly appetizing and weeknight do-able. This BBQ Pan-Seared Scallops in Creamy Sauerkraut Soup recipe came from an article on Edward Lee’s 610 Magnolia restaurant in Louisville, KY, a chef that seamlessly weaves deep southern flavors with traditional Korean fare. I wanted to make all of his recipes, but the only one that I could hope to make after work and reasonably expect to eat before 11 at night was this scallop dish, and it was both easy (ok, not grilled chicken on a foreman grill easy, but definitely easy by Gourmet standards) and really, REALLY delicious.

Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

BBQ Pan-Seared Scallops in Creamy Sauerkraut Soup, Serves 4

Adapted from Gourmet

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Total Prep Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

For the Scallops:

1 1/3lb. Sea Scallops

½ Tsp. Flour

½ Tsp. Paprika

¼ Tsp. Coriander

¼ Tsp. Pepper

1/8 Tsp. Cayenne

½ Tsp. Garlic Salt

1 Tsp. Kosher Salt

2 Tbls. Olive Oil

For the Creamy Sauerkraut Soup:

3 Tbls. Salt

1 Slice Bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 White Onion, chopped

1 Cup Sauerkraut, drained

1/3 Cup White Wine

2 ½ Cups Chicken Stock

¼ Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard

2 Tsp. Sour Cream or crème Fraiche

Preparation:

Get started on the creamy sauerkraut soup by melting 1 of the tablespoons of butter in a very large saute pan over medium heat and cooking the bacon and onions for 5-8 minutes, until most of the fat on the bacon is rendered and the onions are softened.

Add the sauerkraut and wine and allow to simmer briskly for 3-5 minutes.

Turn the heat down to medium low, add the chicken stock and heavy cream, and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, get on preparing your scallops….

Dry the scallops with a paper towel and set aside.

Combine the flour, cayenne, paprika, coriander, garlic salt, kosher salt, and pepper in a small or medium-sized bowl. Using your hands, dip each scallop into the spice mixture, covering the bottom half of the scallop. Set the spiced scallop on a plate, spice-side up, and put heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat before getting back to your creamy sauerkraut soup….

Once the soup is done simmering for 20 minutes, remove from the heat and add in the mustard and sour cream or crème fraiche. Using a hand blender (please, if you haven’t bought one yet, these are incredibly useful and inexpensive tools and make this task so much easier!), puree the soup or carefully transfer the soup to a blender to blend in batches. Return to the pan on the stove top, season to taste with salt and pepper (taste carefully, it’ll still be pretty hot), and keep warm over low heat.

By this time, the oil in the saute pan should be very hot and shimmery. Place the scallops, spice-side up in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. While the scallops are sauteing, ladle the sauerkraut soup into shallow bowls or along the side of a large plate. Place 4 or 5 of your sauteed scallops on the sauerkraut soup, drizzle the spiced oil remaining in the scallops saute pan over the scallops, serve, and enjoy!