Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Purée and Brown Butter

Ingredients

• 12 large dry-packed sea scallops (U-10 or U-12), side muscle removed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
• 1 head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and cut into small florets
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, for the purée
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, for the purée
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, for the brown butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and patted dry (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely sliced
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Method

1. Combine the cauliflower, milk, cream, and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-low heat and cook 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slides into a floret with no resistance at all. Undercooked cauliflower will never blend smooth.
2. Drain the cauliflower, reserving the cooking liquid. Transfer to a blender with the 3 tablespoons butter and blend on high for a full 2 minutes, adding reserved liquid a few tablespoons at a time until it moves like soft-serve.
3. Push the purée through a fine-mesh sieve with a rubber spatula. It's tedious and everyone skips it — that's exactly why the ones who don't skip it get restaurant texture. Season, cover, keep warm.
4. Pat the scallops dry between paper towels. Change the towels and do it again. Keep going until the surface feels tacky rather than slick. Wet scallops will not brown, they'll boil.
5. Season the scallops with the 1 teaspoon kosher salt right before they go in the pan — salt any earlier and it draws moisture back to the surface.
6. Heat a stainless or carbon-steel skillet over medium-high for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the grapeseed oil and heat until it shimmers and just wisps smoke.
7. Lay the scallops in with at least an inch between them, working in two batches if you need to. A crowded pan drops the temperature and you lose the crust.
8. Do not move them for 90 seconds. Not to check, not to nudge. When the edge visible against the pan is deep golden, flip.
9. Cook 30 to 60 seconds on the second side. The center should be barely translucent — around 115°F to 120°F (46°C to 49°C). Pull them onto a warm plate. Scallops go from perfect to rubber in about fifteen seconds.
10. Wipe the pan clean and set it over medium heat. Add the 6 tablespoons butter and swirl continuously. It foams, the foam subsides, and then the milk solids at the bottom turn nut-brown — 3 to 4 minutes.
11. The moment you smell toasted hazelnut, pull the pan off the heat. Brown butter turns to burnt butter in seconds, and there's no bringing it back.
12. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and the capers. It will sputter — that's the water hitting hot fat, and it's what stops the browning.
13. Spoon the purée onto warm plates and pull a spoon through it to make a wide swipe. Set three scallops on each, seared side up, spoon the brown butter over and around, and finish with chives and flaky salt. Serve now.