Pan fried scallops with cider syrup

These pan fried scallops are coated in a sweet and savory apple glaze. Scallops are already so good that it is almost gilding the lily. Almost.

Prep Time 5 minutes    Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

    1 small shallot
    2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
    1/4 cup dry hard cider (I used our Golden Russet blend)
    1/4 tsp. salt
    2 tbsp. cider syrup

Instructions:

1. Coat the saute pan with olive oil and heat on medium hot.

2. Place the scallops in the pan so they are evenly spaced and have a flat side touching the pan. Brown one side, then flip to brown the other. They need about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan when just cooked.

3. Add a little more olive oil if the pan is dry, and saute the minced shallots until they begin to turn translucent - about a minute.

4. Add the hard cider and allow it to cook off for about another minute. Add the cider syrup and salt, whisk to combine, then put the cooked scallops back in the pan, flipping them to coat them with the glaze. The glaze will reduce a little and the heat should be turned off immediately if it begins too dark - you want it to caramelize but not burn, and this whole process takes less than a minute so don't walk away from the pan.

5. Plate up the scallops and spoon any extra glaze over the top.