salt
ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons white wine or Japanese cooking sake, optional
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt to taste
1 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves
1 slice lemon wedges, quartered, for garnishing, (optional)
Rinse the scallops, pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and black pepper. Heat up a skillet with olive oil and butter. Pan-sear the scallops on both sides until nicely browned, but don't overcook them. Remove and set aside. On the same skillet, add the garlic and saute. Add a little bit olive oil if you want. Add the cream, water, wine, salt and cayenne pepper. Bring it to a gentle simmer until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the scallops back into the skillet, add the chopped parsley leaves and lemon wedges, turn off heat and serve immediately. Buy only natural scallops (untreated with water) for this recipe. Natural scallops are creamy in color, opaque, not transparent looking,and slippery when touched. You can get natural scallops at Whole Foods or Costco, or seafood stores.