Surf & Turf with Filet au Poivre and Brown Butter Seared Scallops

Surf & Turf with Filet au Poivre and Brown Butter Seared Scallops

You know, since I've started this blog, I have yet to cook a surf and turf dinner, which is surprising since it is one of my Mountain Man's favorites. I mean all guys like this concept for a meal... two proteins on one plate? Dream come true. I decided to do a Filet au Poivre and Brown Butter Seared Scallops. Though I am a huge fan of filet mignon, I have never liked scallops. I was so wrong, I love them now. Especially when served like this. I mean they are seared until a perfect golden brown and topped with a brown butter-white wine reduction. And then, you have a peppery, tender filet next to them. I made it even fancier by making a homemade compound butter because that's normally what is served with a steak at a nice restaurant. Isn't that butter purdy? Yep. I know that this will be a go-to recipe in the future,  especially for special occasions (like our anniversary). We served them with parmesan truffle fries, which I have made before, because what's better than a steak with fancy frites? Such a great combination. I'll post my Fried Brussel Sprouts Caesar Salad next!! Enjoy :)

For the Filet au Poivre:

2 Filet Mignon Cut 1 ½inches Thick

Kosher Salt & Coarsely Ground Black Pepper

2T Unsalted Butter

1T Olive Oil

Homemade Compound Butter, For Garnishing

For the Brown Butter Seared Scallops:

4-6 Large Dry Scallops

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

2T Olive Oil

3T Unsalted Butter

½C White Wine

Splash of Seafood Stock & Sherry Cooking Wine

Honey, To Taste

Fresh Parsley, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Filet au Poivre: Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle heavily the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Heat the butter and the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes. Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Sauté the steaks for 4 minutes on 1 side and then for 3 minutes on the other side, for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. If you feel that your filet is still too rare, finish them off in the oven until your desired temperature. Serve the cooked filets with a tab of homemade compound butter.

2. For the Brown Butter Seared Scallops: Pat the scallops dry with towel or paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the scallops (both sides). Heat olive oil in a frying pan (don’t use non-stick) over high heat. When oil is hot, place the scallops in the pan with at least one or two inches between them (so they don’t crowd and steam one another). After two minutes, the base should be browned nicely. Flip the scallops and cook for another minute or until base is browned. Remove from heat and set onto a plate until serving. While still on high heat, drop 2T butter into the pan. Move the pat around the pan until melted completely and browned. Pour in the wine, seafood stock, and sherry cooking wine, and use a whisk or spoon to scrape the fond from the pan and stir it into the liquid. Leave the heat on high and let the sauce boil until it reduces to desired consistency. Add in honey to taste, just to balance the acidity of the other components. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Immediately remove from heat and drizzle over the seared scallops. Garnish with fresh parsley.