Skip to content
Caviar only orders ship free at $150. Seafood orders ship free at $300.
Caviar only orders ship free at $150. Seafood orders ship free at $300.

Seared Maine Diver Scallops with Risotto Milanese

June 16, 2023 By: Browne Trading Company
Seared Maine Diver Scallops with Risotto Milanese

Time: 90 minutes

This recipe originates from our partnership with Now You’re Cooking, Midcoast Maine’s Premier Cookware Store. Check out their selection for high-quality, reasonably-priced kitchen products for every home chef. We love this recipe because it showcases our famous diver scallops and is simply delicious.

Not only are Maine diver scallops an American classic, but the Gulf of Maine waters produce some of the best. Known for their sweetness and firm texture, hand-harvested Maine sea scallops are special for any menu. Pair with a beautiful Calera 2016 Chardonnay or Domaine Feuillat Juillot Montagny 1er Cru Cuvée Les Grappes D’Or 2016.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 2 servings

  • Seared Maine Diver Scallops:
  • 8 each Maine Diver Scallops or Maine Sea Scallops
  • Salt for seasoning
  • Oil for searing
  • Risotto Milanese:
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1-5 cloves of garlic (depends on how much garlic you want or how long you’ve been with your SO)
  • 1-2 shallots
  • 2 quarts chicken stock (any stock can be subbed, you could even use water)
  • 2-10 threads of saffron (depending on how much saffron you enjoy or how much color you want)
  • 1-2 cups of white wine (If you don’t like wine in your recipe, then skip)
  • Salt for seasoning

PREPARATION

Step 1

Prepare Seared Maine Diver Scallops

Step 2

Heat the pan on your stovetop using the “high” setting. Once it seems hot, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan barely.

Step 3

Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and lightly season with salt.

Step 4

Take the pan off the heat and slowly add the scallops. Be careful not to crowd the pan, or the scallops will steam, and you will not get a nice sear. You want to cook the scallops about 80% on the seared side. Once you have a good sear, flip the scallops and let them cook slightly. Pull them off the heat.

Step 5

I personally like my scallops a little undercooked in the center but how much they are cooked through is your discretion.

Step 6

If you really want to take the scallops to the next level when you flip them, add a tab of butter. Let the scallops roll around in the butter for a limited time. Butter makes everything better!

Step 7

Prepare Risotto Milanese

Step 8

In the 4qt pot, add the saffron and stock. Put it on the stovetop and set it to “low.”

Step 9

Dice your shallots and garlic. You can cut however you like. Set the pot on the stovetop to “medium” heat.

Step 10

Add the oil, shallots, and garlic. Cook until the alliums are translucent.

Step 11

Throw in the rice and “toast” for about a minute. Then add your wine and cook until “sec” or until the wine is cooked out.

Step 12

Add your stock one ladle at a time. Making sure to stir constantly. This is the most important and tedious part. You should be stirring from anywhere from 15-30 minutes, slowly adding your stock. Taste and season as you go.

Step 13

Once the risotto has transformed into your desired consistency and tooth feel, turn off the heat, add your butter and stir it in. Your risotto should be a beautiful orange color from the saffron.

Featured collection

  • Grilled diver scallops plated
    Grilled diver sea scallops close up

    Maine Diver Scallops

    Starting at $48.50 $48.50
    Original price
    Starting at $48.50
    Starting at $48.50
    $48.50
    In stock

    Approx. 1 pound, 10-20 scallops per pound. Frozen. Many purveyors claim to have Maine diver scallops, but few use the term accurately. True diver s...

    View full details
    Starting at $48.50 $48.50
    Original price
    Starting at $48.50
    Starting at $48.50
    $48.50
  • SearedSeared Domestic scallops with butter-domestic-scallop-_dbissonnette-46
    Seared domestic scallops

    Domestic Sea Scallops

    Starting at $48.00 $48.00
    Original price
    Starting at $48.00
    Starting at $48.00
    $48.00
    Low stock

    Approx. 1 pound, 10-12 scallops per pound. Wild caught domestic sea scallops are special for any menu, known for their sweetness and firm texture. ...

    View full details
    Starting at $48.00 $48.00
    Original price
    Starting at $48.00
    Starting at $48.00
    $48.00
  • Nantucket Bay Scallops

    Nantucket Bay Scallops

    Starting at $0.00 $0.00
    Original price $0.00
    Starting at $62.00
    Starting at $62.00
    $62.00
    In stock

    Approx. 1 pound. 60-100 scallops per pound. Frozen. Harvested by fishermen in small boats off the shores of Massachusetts's islands, Nantucket bay ...

    View full details
    Starting at $0.00 $0.00
    Original price $0.00
    Starting at $62.00
    Starting at $62.00
    $62.00
  • carabineros4

    Carabineros Prawns

    Starting at $150.00 $315.00
    Original price
    Starting at $150.00
    Starting at $150.00
    $150.00
    In stock

    "I have never found a more spectacular way to impress dinner guests. Or an easier one."  - Town & Country Magazine Approx. one kilo box. Froze...

    View full details
    Starting at $150.00 $315.00
    Original price
    Starting at $150.00
    Starting at $150.00
    $150.00

  • Oishii Shrimp

    Starting at $56.00 $56.00
    Original price
    Starting at $56.00
    Starting at $56.00
    $56.00
    In stock

    Approx. 2 pounds, 16-20 shrimp per pound. Frozen. What makes Oishii shrimp different from the typical shrimp you find in the grocery store? Just a...

    View full details
    Starting at $56.00 $56.00
    Original price
    Starting at $56.00
    Starting at $56.00
    $56.00
Shop collection