Seared scallops with brown butter, hazelnuts, and chives

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound large dry sea scallops

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup raw hazelnuts, roughly chopped

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed

• Handful of chives, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

Use your fingers to pull off the side muscle from the scallops and brush away any stray bits of shell or grit. Pat scallops dry with paper towels, then arrange on a large plate and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a medium skillet, preferably stainless steel, over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. When a drop of water dances on the surface of the skillet, add oil, which should immediately thin out and shimmer. Carefully place scallops into pan, flat side down, and cook, undisturbed, until you can see that they’re dark brown on the edge that’s in contact with the pan, about 4 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, a thin spatula, or a metal spoon, turn scallops onto second side and cook until just barely cooked through, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a serving plate.

Pour off any residual oil from skillet and place over medium heat. Add butter and nuts to pan and cook, stirring often, until butter foams and then darkens, and nuts are lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. If sauce reduces too much or looks thick and greasy, stir in a couple tablespoons of water to loosen and reemulsify. Add chives and taste sauce; adjust with more lemon juice or salt as needed.

Spoon pan sauce and nuts over scallops to serve.