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Food & Wine Recipe

Garlic Soup with Sautéed Scallops

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  • ACTIVE: 30 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 1 HR
  • SERVINGS: 4

Chef Way At NYC's Jean Georges, this light and deliciously garlicky soup is served with frog's legs.

Easy Way Swap scallops—which are similarly sweet, delicate and meaty—for the frog's legs.

  1. 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  2. 3 heads of garlic, cloves peeled and coarsely chopped, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  3. 6 thyme sprigs
  4. 4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
  5. Salt and cayenne pepper
  6. 12 sea scallops (about 1 1/4 pounds)
  7. All-purpose flour, for dusting
  8. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  9. 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  10. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  11. 1 large egg
  12. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the coarsely chopped garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and stock and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the garlic is very soft, about 30 minutes. Strain the broth into a heatproof bowl and wipe out the saucepan. Return the broth to the saucepan, season with salt and cayenne and keep warm.
  2. Season the scallops with salt and cayenne and dust them with flour. In a large skillet, melt the butter. When the foam subsides, add the scallops and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Add the parsley, minced garlic and lemon juice to the skillet and shake to coat the scallops. Set 3 scallops in each of 4 shallow soup plates.
  3. Return the broth to a boil. In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the vinegar; whisk the egg into the broth, whisking constantly. Spoon the broth around the scallops and serve right away.
Make Ahead The broth can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Suggested Pairing

Ripe, citrusy Chenin Blanc.