This title sounds fancy but I promise you this recipe is SO easy and incredibly tasty. I love how recipes come together sometimes… I had a bag of fresh cherries from the farmer’s market and a few sprigs of tarragon from my friend Kalyn’s garden and a hankering for scallops, then I found the recipe using all of these ingredients on Whole Foods’ website. I haven’t used tarragon much, if ever, but I was challenged to find something new and flavorful to accompany this garden gift I’d been given. The recipe turned out to be perfectly sweet and sour all at the same time.
The French Tarragon gives the dish a hint of spice similar to anise flavor. Tarragon is often accompanied with vinegar as in this recipe, creating a classic combination to flavor the cherries.
While I’m a huge fan of mixing meat and seafood, of any kind, with fruit, Josh prefers to have them separate so while I enjoyed every bite of scallop with a few plump cherries, Josh ate them both but ate them separately. He swears that he still enjoyed the dish, so we were both completely satisfied and content having satiated our cravings for fresh seafood and fruit.
We ate the colorful dish with a side farm salad that we’d made the night before using greens from La Nay Ferme’s CSA.
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound wild-caught sea scallops (about 6 scallops)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 pound cherries (about 2 cups), pitted and halved
- 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
Instructions
- Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy skillet over high heat until hot. Add oil and heat until oil is shimmering--but not smoking. Add the scallops and sear, turning once, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer scallops to a platter, cover and keep warm.
- Lower heat to medium and add shallots to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add vinegar and cherries. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries are softened, 4 minutes. Stir in tarragon, then pour cherry sauce over scallops.
Notes
recipe from WholeFoods.com
For more cooking tips and recipes using tarragon, go to Kalyn’s Kitchen.
and an extra photo for you… Henry trying to take advantage of the fact that I’m taking photos and not keeping a close eye on the food.
I’m crazy about scallops. What a great recipe idea with the tarragon!
This is a beautiful dish, so fresh and summery.
I found Rainier cherries at the market today. Now I know what I can do with them! Never would have thought to pair them with scallops.
I bought some Rainiers at the market last week, a whole pound for $4! So I have a few left over and was contemplating pairing with pork, but since I’m a total scallop lover this recipe looks like the ticket. And if you need more tarragon, I have a garden full. It’s my favorite in salad dressing. I’ll make it for you sometime 🙂
I would LOVE to try your dressing. I’m just starting to explore tarragon more and really loving it. I’ve been enjoying just throwing it into to a mix of greens for a salad with a balsamic dressing.
Fantastic recipe, full of seasonal flavor and easy preparation! I would not have thought to pair cherries with scallops but sounds scrumptious, well done!
These look AMAZING. I love scallops and now I’m craving this recipe for tomorrow night!
Thanks so much for sharing; I love your blog!
This scallop recipe is a personal favorite of mine. I hope you enjoy it too!