Seared Scallops on Potato Pancakes

Well, the advantage of neglecting writing the blog is the embarrassment of choices for my next post. One of my favourite recipes I made over the holidays was this seared scallop on potato pancake recipe. Sometimes I get inspired with what is on sale; in this instance, giant sea scallops. I googled a few recipes and found one served on a potato pancake. Not only is it a winning combination but it's also a very nice looking starter, sure to impress your guests! It requires 3 main steps but they're not too hard to make and well worth the effort.

Seared Scallops on Potato Pancakes - Serves 4

Pesto sans cheese
I only made pesto without cheese because my mom doesn't eat dairy. One could argue that cheese is unnecessary when serving seafood. Feel free to add Parmesan to make pesto!

* 1 pack of basil
* a few toasted pine nuts
* 1-2 cloves of garlic, grated
* salt to taste
* olive oil

Place in a processor and pulse until smooth.
Set aside until ready to plate.

Potato Pancakes - makes 8-10 small panccakes
From Smitten Kitchen.
I benefited from Elle's experience making latkas. The trick she learned from Smitten Kitchen is to use a cheesecloth to get all the liquid out of the grated potatoes for the most crispy latka.

* 2 potatoes, grated
* ½ onion, sliced thinly
* salt to taste
* ½ egg, beaten
* 2 Tbsp flour
* olive oil

Mix the grated potato and onion slices.
Season to taste with salt.
Strain the potatoes of any liquid using a cheesecloth.
Mix in just enough egg so the mixture holds together.
Add the flour so the mixture is not too wet.
Heat oil in a pan on high heat.
Form small pancakes, a little bit bigger than the scallops, and fry on each side until golden and crispy.
Place on a baking sheet in the oven at low heat until the scallops are ready

Frying potato pancakes.

Seared Scallops
There are three important steps to follow when searing scallops: 1) the scallops should be dry, 2) the pan must be very hot and 3) do not overcook the scallops. Otherwise, it's fail safe!

* 8 large scallops
* salt and pepper to taste
* olive oil

Pat dry the scallops with a paper towel.
Season each side with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a pan on high heat.
When hot, add scallops to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side depending on the size of the scallops - you want the scallops to be just passed the stage of being translucent (you can check the sides of the scallops for this).

Searing scallops.

To plate

Place two potato pancakes on each plate.
Top with scallops and a spoonful of pesto.
Tada!