If you enjoyed the Goat Cheese Salad with candied pistachios half as much as I did, it would put a smile on my face. Don’t forget it can make a nice light summer dinner as well.
Next course, seared scallops mingle with a light citrus sauce and a creamy polenta gets jazzed up with fresh mild goat cheese. These scallops are happily dusted with a gorgeous Welsh Oak Smoked Sea Salt from Halen Môn. This is a salt you will start using and never ever want to stop. I swear, I’m about to order a 1/2 kilo.
Disclaimer: I’m so not getting any benefits from promoting this product. Halen Môn was however, a generous sponsor at the previously mentioned (many times), Plate to Page workshop. And it is with pleasure, that I pass on my recommendation.
Hell, I carried this salt at Chez Chloe (my kitchen/specialty food store) on Orcas Island for four years! I was more than happy getting it wholesale by the case!
{Print Recipe} for Seared Scallops, Citrus Sauce and Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta
Citrus Sauce: 1T minced shallot 1/4 cup white wine (I used riesling and it was lovely) 1/2 cup orange juice 6 T cold butter chopped in small cubes 1/4 tsp white balsamic vinegar season to taste with salt and white pepper
The use of goat cheese in this manner, came the first time for me, when I had run out of parmesan and used it in my white sauce for pasta. And loved it.
Then it went into my gravy for traditional Southern biscuits and (non-traditional) gravy.
Why not with polenta? It gives it a pleasant, mildly tangy umph. I wonder if someone who is a little freaked by goat products (Resa are you reading this) would notice?
And if you are a goat product lover then it’s a no brainer.
Creamy Polenta: Serves 2 with generous leftovers- 1 cup polenta 4 cups water 1/2 cup milk 1 bouillon cube 4oz fresh goat cheese 1/2 tsp salt 2 T butter
Scallops are quickly seared before serving. I used 5 scallops per person (which was myself and O) and cooked them in two batches as they tend to water up which leaves you steaming scallops instead of searing. I heat about 1 T olive oil and 1 T butter on medium high for each batch and quickly cook the little mollusks on each side for only 1 and 1/2 – 2 minutes. You don’t want to be chewing little rubber disks draped in citrus butter.
Lastly, may I suggest with the polenta leftovers, you try heating them up and serving with a fried egg, salmon lox and creme fraiche. You will like this if you like southern grits. I know Shelly… don’t judge me. I love grits. I love Flo from Alice…. all you youngsters (and folks who didn’t grow up in the USA in the 80’s) can google that!
Tschüß,
Wendy's Place 
this looks phenomenal. oh I would die for scallops right now!
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I’m ashamed to say, I had to thaw them as they didn’t fit into my schedule the day I bought them. One of those shopping frenzies when your stomach and enthusiasm make all the decisions. They were still great though and the the sauce was killer.
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Love the idea for goat cheese polenta, very interesting 😀
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Thank you. Honestly, I could put goat cheese in and on everything!
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Yes! I’m reading this. You nut. I’ve got more food issues than a box of Kleenex has tissues. (goat cheese…. shudder) The creativity of cooking and baking are inspiring to me, even if I have to adapt. I love the way you present your dishes. You rock food. Yummy on the polenta!
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oh you are a good girl! This is an easy fix with parmesan… which is what normal people put in it to start with.
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I’ve never seen salt like this before – looks well-tasty though! As does the rest of your recipe 🙂
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I love this salt. As I mentioned, I carried it in my store before. Along with it there was a line of salts from a company in Seattle that had applewood smoked salt, alder smoked salt and so on. I’ve actually thought about trying to smoke it myself. That would be a good one for Carol Ann over at RockSalt!
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Wonderful, Wendy … like polenta and I like goat’s cheese – scallops I can eat if being served, but nothing I will order myself – have cooked many times – very delicate product. Love your sauce – so I will have that over the weekend with salmon from the freezer. Halen Môn salt I always used when living over there – they have a full range of salts – very exciting company met a couple of time on food expo.
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The sauce would be great with salmon too. I use to like Halon Mon’s celery salt.
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They are so good on their salts .. the family. Never tried the smoked one will look for it when I go across in November. Sure I can buy online.
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Looks great. We love scallops, but also like the sound of the goat cheese polenta. We will try it. Thx..
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Thanks! I tell you the goat cheese adds just a little more dimension to the flavor I think… in many things that call for the ‘norm’ like parmesan. I loved it in my gravy for biscuits too.
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Scallops, goat’s cheese, polenta… loving this dish!
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It’s all pretty quick to make except maybe the citrus sauce is a little fussy. Enjoy!
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Thanks for the rec on the salt, will try it! Great ingredients elevate things to the next level, don’t they?
Looks great, lovin’ that sear on that scallop… mm mm
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I’m pretty sure Whole Foods carries it. I’ve been putting it on everything!
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I really admire your blog! I’ve nominated you for The One Lovely Blog Award! Check it out here: http://catpurrology.com/2012/06/09/a-humble-thanks-plus-30-nominations/
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Hi there – Thank you so much. I’m on my way over!
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I am stunned at the beauty of these scallops and the flavors of this dish. Wow what an amazing cook you are! I must try this recipe. I love scallops and love the citrussy sauce. Beautiful, Wendy!
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It all looks lovely and I would guess the Riesling was a great choice for the sauce.
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Looks very yummy, Wendy. I love scallops and the polenta is wonderful. Great that you mentioned parmesan cheese because I’d rather have that than goat cheese. 😉
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I love a citrus sauce with scallops. The accompaning goat cheese polenta sounds great with the dish.
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Grits are just plain wrong LOL However I am a big polenta fan (go figure) so both the scallop and fried egg dishes sound delish!
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Hey Shelly… nice to see (hear) (read) you! That is a funny one. Just as funny is me realizing duh.. polenta basically is grits and I could be making these everyday with fried eggs. Though I need grits and a half stick of butter every morning like i need a hole in the head!
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LOL toss some bacon in there and we can both have heart attacks – but it would taste soo good…:)
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Much to the evident dismay of some of your followers, I made your polenta recipe with Anson Mills stone ground grits. In a word, wonderful. I spread the leftovers on parchment and put them in the fridge to make grits cakes in the morning. Thanks for the recipe.
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Cake grits- great idea! Glad you liked this and thanks for the reminder it’s on here- I could go for another round of this dish!
Thanks for stopping by:) wendy
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Hello! Thanks for the recipe. I’m a 23 year old male trying to learn how to cook so I can impress my girlfriend. I’m making this for her tonight… wish me luck!
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I so do- Just make sure you do a few at a time so they don’t get ‘steamed’ and keep it fairly hot and quick- you want seared but tender. No rubbery bits please.
Good luck!!
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Huge success! First course was prosciutto wrapped breadsticks dipped in balsamic w/dirty martinis. Scallops cut by resting a knife on them, creamy polenta (added rosemary to compliment the goats cheese), simple asparagus on the side (salt pepper lemon olive oil – al dente).
I used about half as much butter on the citrus glaze and after about 30 it settled nicely. Also, I put the scallops on and off like hours on a clock (Gordon Ramsay technique) which allowed me to cook them all evenly.
Thanks!
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