Sea Scallops and Asparagus

My son Patrick is a fan of FlavorNC and especially enjoys the interesting recipes.  He convinced me to try this recipe for lunch today,  and we both were very pleased with it.   I made only half the recipe using six instead of twelve scallops.  Scallops are very pricey.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Evan Hayes

as seen on episode “Currituck Asparagus”, season 4

Preparation – Medium, Serves 4

Ingredients:

·        12 Fresh Jumbo Sea Scallops

·        2 medium Sweet Onions (I used about 1/2 cup of frozen chopped onions.)

·        1 bunch Fresh Asparagus

·        1 c Spinach

·        1 tbs Olive Oil

·        ½ c White Wine

·        1 tbs Lemon Juice

·        1 tbs Honey

·        1 c Chicken Stock

·        4 oz Cream Cheese, softened

·        Salt & White Pepper to taste

Pre-heat Grill and cast iron. Chop one onion and thickly slice the other. Chop ½ bunch asparagus.

Asparagus Puree

Pre-heat sauté pan with olive oil. Caramelize chopped onion in sauté pan. Add wine and lemon juice and reduce. Add chicken stock, honey, salt and pepper, and chopped asparagus. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. In batches, add ½ sauté, ½ spinach, and ½ cream cheese to blender until smooth. Repeat and combine until all of sauté has been blended with cream cheese and spinach.

Salt, pepper, and olive oil scallops. Sear scallops on cast iron until golden brown on both sides. Grill remaining asparagus and onion. Assemble grilled items and drizzle with asparagus puree. 

I had some of the asparagus puree left over, and I think it would be great over poached eggs or even broiled salmon. Any suggestions on how to use the leftover sauce?