We have been taking turns cooking for the last few weeks and it is working out well. One cooks and the other cleans up. The other night Laura made this dish, which turned out perfect. We buy our scallops from Costco frozen. The trick is to take them out early in the morning and let them thaw naturally. Laura places them on a bed of paper towels and covers them with more paper towels. Once they are thawed she pats them dry with even more paper towels. You need them to be as dry as possible to get a nice crust and sear on them when cooking.
Right before cooking you season the top of the scallops with a bit of salt and pepper. Melt butter in a non-stick saute pan over medium high heat and place the scallops in the pan in a circle clockwise seasoned side down. Season the tops with more salt and pepper. Let them cook until you get 1/4 inch of crust on the bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes. With tongs turn them over in the order in which you put them in. Let them cook an additional 1 1/2 minutes. Remove them and place on parchment paper to drain.
Meanwhile in another large non-stick pan melt butter and olive oil, add 4 – 5 finely chopped garlic cloves and a bag of baby spinach. Season with salt and pepper and quickly toss. Cook too much and you will have mush.
Place the spinach on serving plates and arrange scallops on top. Serve immediately.
