I was given six tiny, extremely juicy blood oranges by my friendly farmers, Eunice and Larry (Larry’s Veggies), right at the end of blood orange season. She said to me, “I know you will do something wonderful with them.”
Weeks earlier, friends Susan and Towny had sent me a recipe for scallops with a blood orange gastrique and a fennel salad. I liked it very much when I made it, but wanted more blood orange flavor to go with the scallops.
What if I were to make a beurre blanc with the blood oranges instead of wine and lemon? In my head, when I finished emulsifying the sauce with chilled butter, I would have a pretty, medium pink sauce. Until the actual moment I finished the sauce, I had no idea how strong the color of blood oranges is!
As you can see, after adding the butter, the sauce is still an intense and beautiful ruby red. Thus, the Beurre Rouge in the name. It looks beautiful on the plate, tasted great, and went beautifully with the scallops. I paired it with a Southern Rhône white wine, which was excellent: L’Exclus d’Alary, 2017. You can read more about that on the Provence WineZine.
~David
Scallops with Blood Orange Beurre Rouge
Ingredients
- 8 sea scallops
- 3/4 cup blood orange juice (2-3 large oranges)
- 1 shallot, peeled and halved
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
- snipped chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat scallops dry and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Let them sit uncovered in the refrigerator while you prepare the sauce. This will allow them to dry out a bit.
- Place the orange juice, shallot and a good pinch of salt together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes or so, until the liquid has reduced to about 2-3 tablespoons; it should be syrupy. Strain the juice into a clean pan and set aside, covered. (Note: you can use regular oranges/orange juice but the flavor is very different.)
- Season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge them in the flour. In a heavy skillet set on medium-high heat; when hot, add the softened butter. When butter stops foaming, add the scallops and cook until nicely browned on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. While the first side is browning, reheat the blood orange reduction over medium heat. Flip the scallops. Whisk the chilled butter into the blood orange reduction, one tablespoon at a time. Divide among two plates. Scallops will be done. Place four scallops on each plate of sauce, and serve immediately.
- Serves 2.
- Note: If you cannot find blood oranges, you can get close to the flavor by using regular oranges (juice) with a drop of orange flower water and a teaspoon of honey mixed in. You won’t have the gorgeous red color – just another beautiful color, instead.
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Provençal Pairings: Wine with FoodA Good Stretch - Provence WineZine
March 6, 2021 at 7:33 am[…] with a Blood Orange Beurre Rouge specifically to pair with this wine – you can find the recipe on Cocoa & Lavender. Blood oranges aren’t available year-round so, if you want to make it now, use regular oranges […]
Fran @ G'day Souffle
March 6, 2021 at 8:01 amOh, I must send this recipe to the chefs at Le Cordon Bleu- they will certainly be jealous! I think the beurre blanc sauce by itself would have been dull, but adding the blood orange juice was a ‘magnifique’ idea!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 6, 2021 at 9:28 amYou are too kind, Fran. Just a simple dish designed to showcase the beauty and flavors of the ingredients!
John / Kitchen Riffs
March 6, 2021 at 10:14 amThis is SO pretty! We have scallops a fair amount (they are Mrs KR’s favorite seafood), but haven’t paired them with blood oranges. Neat idea! You make wonderful sauces, and this one looks exceptional. Thanks!
David Scott Allen
March 6, 2021 at 11:33 amIt’s definitely a new pairing for me, John – and I think it worked beautifully. Glad to know Mrs. KR and I have our love of scallops in common!
Eha Carr
March 6, 2021 at 4:18 pmOh, I am off immediately to Mr Google Australia to find out when our blood oranges will be on the market ! For some reason our season is quite short and must come quite a few months after yours. What a very, very simple but utterly perfect recipe David ! With my love of scallops I cannot wait . . .
Cocoa & Lavender
March 7, 2021 at 12:34 pmI fear you have about 5 months to wait, Eha, but it will be worth it! Glad you like the recipe!
The-FoodTrotter
March 7, 2021 at 8:02 amI’ve seen your recipe on Facebook, what a chic starter! Normally I am a bit reluctant when it comes to fruit in savoury dishes, but I guess the combination of mellow flavour of the scallops works heavenly with the zingy and pungent taste of the blood orange.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 7, 2021 at 12:35 pmIt does work really well, Romain. The shallot adds a savory touch, as does the butter.
Inger Wilkerson
March 7, 2021 at 9:28 amLooks lovely David and I still have some scallops in the freezer! Now if I can just get the blood oranges (in my rural hideout–the city would be no problem). But why do I feel this need to add vermouth–not an alcoholic, I swear…
Cocoa & Lavender
March 7, 2021 at 12:36 pmWell, I would definitely hold off on the vermouth here, though sweet red might work. The simplicity is what really makes this dish!
Melissa
March 7, 2021 at 10:05 amI made scallops with blood orange gastrique for Valentine’s Day dinner–probably a similar preparation to the recipe you used. We like them very much so I’m definitely going to try this. I can still get blood oranges here, probably for another week or two, so scallops will be hitting the dinner table at my house again very soon.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 7, 2021 at 12:38 pmMaybe it was the same recipe, Missy — did it have a fennel salad alongside? This is a bit less subtle than the gastrique — which I prefer. More blood orange flavor for sure. Hope you and Scott try them!
Melissa
March 8, 2021 at 8:48 amI just checked; it was an herb salad (parsley, mint, and tarragon) with some blood orange segments added, so not the exact same recipe. But I’m sure they were similar since my reaction was the same as yours–I was expecting more blood orange flavor. I’m tentatively planning to make yours next weekend; I’ll keep you posted!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2021 at 2:08 pmThat herb salad sounds wonderful. Yes, there is a time and a place for subtlety… blood oranges season isn’t one of them. Looking forward to your thoughts!
Gerlinde de Broekert
March 7, 2021 at 8:30 pmDavid, this looks divine. Unfortunately, I just used my leftover blood oranges from making marmalade. It’s a great recipe and I love scallops.
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2021 at 2:04 pmThere is always next year, Gerlinde!
Aarthi
March 7, 2021 at 11:10 pmOverall the dish looks so appetizing and delicious. The sauce flavors looks so interesting with the blood oranges and I haven’t made scallops as well , so thanks for sharing an amazing recipe idea!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2021 at 2:04 pmThanks, Aarthi! The blood orange sauce was very different and floral – fun with the scallops!
sherry
March 8, 2021 at 9:12 pmoh yum to scallops and blood oranges. wow doesn’t that beurre rouge look incredible? yes i think our season for them here in Oz is june/july. the colder months anyway. and for a very short season. i really must cook scallops more often …
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2021 at 2:05 pmScallops are one of our favorite quick and easy meals – and they are so sweet. Does Mr. P like them?
Ron
March 9, 2021 at 11:46 amAn eye-pleasing dish that I’m sure is a very tasty dish indeed. Eva loves scallops and blood oranges so we’ll be trying this one. We’ve just started seeing Italian blood oranges in our area so I’ll have to grab some. Scallops will have to be frozen as our diver scallop season is still a few months away, but I’m sure it’ll still be a grand meal…
Cocoa & Lavender
March 9, 2021 at 2:06 pmI wish we could get good diver scallops here, Ron – well, at a reasonable price. They are outrageously expensive here in the desert. This does work well with frozen scallops, though, so I think you and Eva will be in good shape.
Raymund
March 9, 2021 at 3:02 pmThey do look intense, love the outcome and the effect it had on the dish. Such a lovely flavour combination too, the tangy oranges are perfect for that scallops
Cocoa & Lavender
March 11, 2021 at 12:20 pmThanks, Raymond – I did enjoy the tanginess with the sweet, briny scallops!
Kelly | Foodtasia
March 10, 2021 at 1:23 pmWowwwww! That sauce is so intense and beautiful! Next time I see blood oranges, I’m grabbing them to try this! so elegant!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 11, 2021 at 12:21 pmThanks, Kelly – I wish the blood orange season wasn’t so short.
2pots2cook
March 12, 2021 at 6:52 amTo late for this beauty but will keep the recipe for next season. Amazing !
Cocoa & Lavender
March 14, 2021 at 12:28 pmAbsolutely, Davorka – that is what I love about all this – something to which we can look forward a year from now!
Christina Conte
March 13, 2021 at 9:27 amWhat a dish! Absolutely stunning, David! I love scallops and the dark blood orange sauce is wonderful! How lovely that you were given the oranges and the recipes almost simultaneously! It was a dish that was meant to be!
Cocoa & Lavender
March 14, 2021 at 12:26 pmWell, in local foodways, timing is everything! One thing I have really loved about the pandemic time is how much more seasonally we have been eating. I know that I always did, but it is moreso now.
Valentina
March 13, 2021 at 3:51 pmThis is an incredibly stunning plate of food. I could frame it. I really love what you did with the blood oranges — brilliant idea, and with the scallops, oh my! And you photo of the sliced orange could also be framed for my wall. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
March 14, 2021 at 12:22 pmThanks you, Valentina – I was so happy with the orange photo. Not sure why but it really got me. Glad you like the dish – I love it when dinner is “suitable for framing!”
John
March 19, 2021 at 1:47 pmBlood orange season is a little way off for us here, but we do take advantage of it. Especially when it’s such a short one, too. The colour of your sauce is mesmerising!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
March 22, 2021 at 2:27 pmThe county where we live in Florida is known for its citrus but sadly not blood oranges. Your scallops look lovely floating in that beautiful sauce.