Bay Scallops with Celery Root and Tangerines
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon minced shallots
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper (if you only have pre-ground white pepper, use freshly ground black pepper)
- 1 small celery root, peeled, sliced very thin, and cut into matchsticks
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, white part and the first inch of the green part only, cut into ½-inch pieces on the diagonal
- 3 stalks celery, peeled and chopped into ½-inch dice
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- â…› teaspoon anise seeds
- 2 tangerines, skin and membrane removed, cut into segments over a bowl to save the juices
- 1 ¼ pounds bay scallops, tough muscles removed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
Be sure to peel the muscle—the white strip that runs down the side—off the scallops before sautéing (it’s easy).
- Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, shallots, and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. The mayonnaise should be assertively seasoned. Add the celery root and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to use. (You can make up to 12 hours ahead.)
- Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the scallions, celery, garlic, and anise seeds, season with salt and pepper, and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot but not quite smoking, add the scallops in a single layer, leaving a ½-inch space between them so they don’t steam (you may have to use two pans or cook them in two batches). Cook, without moving the scallops, on one side only, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Toss the scallops once, then transfer to a large plate.
- Add the tangerine juice from the segments to the pan and reduce to a glaze. (This will happen very quickly.) Add the cooked celery mixture, the remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the parsley, and the tangerine sections to the pan. Toss until heated through, about 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
- Put a spoonful of the celery root salad in the middle of each warmed plate. Distribute the scallops evenly around the celery root. Spoon the vegetables and the pan juices over the scallops and serve.