Ginger Ale Scallops

This recipe was made in a hotel room with limited resources. We went to a grocery store, but it you're only going to be somewhere for one night, you don't really want to buy all these kitchen staples. So, we bought a few main ingredients, then tried to make do with what we had. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that we came up with something pretty dang good. Don't laugh when you see it. There probably is a way to do it with honey, fresh ginger, etc, but the crisp sweetness of the ginger ale really worked well with the scallops. And best of all, it was ready in just a few minutes.


Ginger Ale Scallops

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound small-to-medium sea scallops (you could do it with larger ones if you wanted, but the small ones worked really well)
• 1 medium shallot, finely diced
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
• About 1/2 cup ginger ale
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Remove the "feet" from the scallops, if necessary. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with the olive oil in a large, flat-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Make sure the bottom is covered well with the butter and oil. Add the scallops in a single layer, and let sear, undisturbed, for about 3 minutes. Gently dislodge them, if needed, and flip them to sear the other side, 2-3 minutes (or until gently colored). Remove from pan, retaining as much liquid in the pan as possible.

Add additional 2 tablespoons butter to the pan. Toss in the shallot, and saute until browned. Add the lemon juice and ginger ale, working the bottom of the pan to dissolve any browned bits of scallop into the sauce. Bring to a boil, and let the sauce reduce for a few minutes. Toss the scallops back into the pan to reheat and cover with the sauce. Serve over sauteed or roasted asparagus.