Seared Scallops with Kimchi Potato Puree

What makes a dish stand out?

Taste aside, I have found that there are things that people are drawn to when looking at food porn.

  1. Food in excess: The kind that has enough calories to feed a bear prior to hibernation.
  2. Food in small quantity: The kind where 76.12% of the plate is empty (plated gorgeously but portioned for a hamster).
  3. The odd: When you have to stare for a few seconds before realizing what you are looking at.
  4. Eggs: More specifically…the yolk “Money Shot.”
  5. Anything with a garnish: usually something green.

There are more (check the bottom of this post if you care to know) but for the purpose of explain how these Korean Seared Scallops came to be…I’ll just stop here.

I believe that phenomenal food just needs to taste good, nothing more, nothing less. With that said, I’m going to be a huge hypocrite and abide by the food porn rules listed above. Looking at my images, you have no idea what to expect in terms of flavor. It is my responsibility to inspire you, the reader, to get in the kitchen and recreate the experience I had. Or at the very least, inspire you to create your own experience (it’s not just about the outcome).

The star of these Korean Seared Scallops are not the scallops. Much like this recipe here, the puree is the pièce de résistance! For those of you that are not fluent french speakers, that term very loosely translates to “the kimchi puree in this dish is and will be the most amazing thing to grace your tongue for the foreseeable future.”

This dish is the allure of kimchi (acidic, sweet, savory) in a more subtle and smooth form. Served with the aforementioned seared scallops in small, precisely placed portions (rule 2). Topped with quail eggs (rule 3 & 4) to further sauce the scallops. Diced red onions to bring a bit of crunch and color to the dish and as for the scallion…well, it’s just there because a dish just isn’t complete until it has a green leafy thing on top (rule 5). Simple food logistics right there.

Well..what are you waiting for? Go buy some diving gear, a boat and get those scallops! I’m kidding…before you go, you have to preserve your cabbage and plant your potatoes. Let’s not forget about breeding your quails. Check back with me in a few months to let me know how much you loved this dish. I’ll be here.

And…

As promised above, here are other things that are popular in food porn:

  1. Tacos…especially on Tuesdays
  2. Brunch…especially on Sundays
  3. Nutella…basically everyday
  4. Powdered sugar…everything
  5. Sushi…(am I the only one that thinks they all look the same?)
  6. Precisely placed cleavage in food shots…
  7. Accidental cleavage in food shots…
  8. Actually, cleavage in general…no food required
  9. Men that bare striking resemblances to Greek Gods holding nothing but a knife and wearing nothing but an apron.
  10. There is sooooo much more! Let me know what I missed!
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Seared Scallops with Kimchi Potato Puree
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 People 20 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 Minutes 10 Minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 People 20 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 Minutes 10 Minutes
Seared Scallops with Kimchi Potato Puree
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 People 20 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 Minutes 10 Minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 People 20 Minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
50 Minutes 10 Minutes
Ingredients
Scallops
Kimchi Potato Puree
Fried Quail Egg
Garnish
Servings: People
Instructions
Kimchi Potato Puree
  1. Rinse the peeled potatoes. Then place them in a pot with enough cold water to have them all submerged. Add 1-2 tbs of salt and bring this to a boil.
  2. When you have a boil, drop the heat down to medium and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender (12-14 minutes depending on the size of you potatoes).
  3. Melt 6 oz of unsalted butter with the heavy cream over medium heat or in a microwave.
  4. In a food processor or blender, blend all the ingredients for the "Kimchi Potato Puree" until it is smooth.
Quail Eggs
  1. Crack your quail eggs into bowls.
  2. Melt butter (See notes) in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Fry your eggs until the white has set (1-2 minutes). Trim the whites to match the size of your scallops.
Scallops
  1. 10-15 minutes before cooking, take the scallops out of the fridge and pat them dry on some paper towels.
  2. Lightly season the scallops. In a pan over med-high heat, add in 1 tbsp of Olive Oil and then the scallops. Season the other side. Cook for 1 minute. See notes.
  3. Flip the scallops over, turn the heat down to medium and throw in some butter. Baste the scallops with the melted butter while cooking for 30 seconds to a minute. See notes.
Recipe Notes

Everything you need to know about scallops HERE

Amount of butter used for frying the quail eggs will vary depending on the size of your pan. Use just enough to have a thin layer present.

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