Brown Butter Scallops with Butternut Squash Risotto

These brown butter scallops with butternut squash risotto are tender, delicious and nutty. 

Brown Butter Scallops 

Scallops are one of my favorite types of seafood to cook. I know some people can be intimidated by cooking them but they’re really super simple. It starts with a few teaspoons of neutral oil to the pan and when it was hot, I placed VERY dry, fresh scallops in the pan. I seared them on each side for about 1 to 2 minutes and got the perfect sear.

How to Make Brown Butter Scallops with Butternut Squash Risotto

1. First you want to work with warm chicken stock in your 4-quart saucepan. You could also use veggie broth, if you want to keep this dish pescatarian.
2. Next, add the butter and olive oil in a small saucepan. When it’s warm, add in the onion and cook until they’re softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Then you want to add the garlic, thyme and arborio rice and mix. You want to toast the rice until you see the little kernels have what appears to be a white dot in the center of them. This is them par-cooking a bit BEFORE we cook it slowly in the broth.
4. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate a bit and cook with the rice. The rice will absorb the wine.
5. Ladle in a big ladle full of broth, stirring and then letting it cook until it’s been absorbed by the rice. This usually takes about 5 minutes. Then you want to repeat this process about 5 times until the rice has cooked to al dente and has absorbed most of the broth. This process usually takes about 30 minutes.
6. Mix in the butternut squash puree, nutmeg, salt, pepper and cream cheese. Give it a good stir; it’ll turn super creamy and delicious. And cook for about 2 more minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and then fold in the butter, parmesan and gruyere. If it’s super runny or thin, not to worry, it’ll thicken a bit as it sits while we sear up the scallops.
8. To cook the scallops, I like to take a 10-inch skillet and place it over medium heat. Add in the neutral oil and cook the scallops on each side for about 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat until you’ve worked through all of the scallops.
9. Clean out the pan and then add the reserved 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook until it’s toasty and browned.
10. Divide the risotto amongst 6 bowls. Top it with a three to 4 scallops. And drizzle with the browned butter and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Tips and Tricks for these Brown Butter Scallops with Butternut Squash Risotto

• Substitute veggie broth if you want to make this dish pescatarian-friendly.
• Warm broth helps the risotto cook faster. If you pour in cold broth, you have to wait until it heats up until it can begin cooking the arborio rice, hence the reason why this recipe calls for the first step to heat up the broth.
• You can substitute pumpkin puree in place of butternut squash puree.
• If you want to skip the addition of wine, no biggie, you can just skip to the step with the broth. You may need a bit more broth in the end.

If you make this Brown Butter Scallops with Butternut Squash Risotto, let me know on Instagram!

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5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Brown Butter Scallops with Butternut Squash Risotto

Author: Adrianna Adarme

These brown butter scallops with butternut squash risotto are tender, delicious and nutty. 

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: brown butter, how to sear scallops, risotto

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 50 mins

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients

Risotto:

• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves stripped from stems
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 15- ounce can butternut squash purée
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
• 2 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes
• 1 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
• 2 ounces gruyere grated

Scallops:

• 1 pound large scallops cleaned
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
• ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
• 2 teaspoons neutral high-heat oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided

Instructions

To Make the Risotto:

• To a 2-quart saucepan, add the chicken stock and heat on medium until it comes to simmer, then quickly reduce to low to keep it warm.
• To a skillet, set over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat until shiny and shimmering. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the minced garlic, thyme, and arborio rice and cook, stirring often, for another 5 or so minutes until the grains are translucent on the edges with the centers remaining white (it’ll look like each grain has a white dot in the center).
• Add the white wine to the skillet, stirring often, until fully absorbed by the grains.
• Ladle in about 1/2 a cup of warm stock into the skillet and stir often until the liquid has absorbed into the rice and the bottom of the pan looks dry. Continue this process until all the stock has been incorporated. It should take about 30 minutes or so in total. The rice should be shiny and al dente. If at any point before the 30 minutes is up or before you’ve incorporated all of the stock the risotto is both al dente and shiny, you can stop adding the stock. Risotto is a touch and feel dish. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the butternut squash, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and the cream cheese and stir for 2 minutes, it should be well combined. Turn off the heat and fold in the reserved 1 tablespoon of butter, parmesan, and gruyere. Taste it and add more seasoning, to taste. If it looks really saucy, don’t panic. The sauce will continue to absorb into the rice as you sear the scallops.

To Make the Scallops:

• ​​Start by patting the scallops dry with a paper towel (this helps with them getting nice and browned). Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In a small skillet, set over medium-high heat, add the oil.
• When hot, add the scallops, cooking on each side for about 1 to 2 minutes, until nice and golden brown. Repeat until you’ve worked your way through all of the scallops. Set them aside on a paper towel. Clean out the pan, if needed and then add the butter to the pan and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s turned from melted, to foamy to nutty and browned. Remove immediately.
• Divide the risotto into six equal portions, preferably served in shallow bowls, and top with the scallops and drizzle the browned butter over each. Serve immediately–you can garnish with a sprig of thyme and more parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

Tips and Tricks: 

• Substitute veggie broth if you want to make this dish pescatarian-friendly.
• Warm broth helps the risotto cook faster. If you pour in cold broth, you have to wait until it heats up until it can begin cooking the arborio rice, hence the reason why this recipe calls for the first step to heat up the broth.
• You can substitute pumpkin puree in place of butternut squash puree.
• If you want to skip the addition of wine, no biggie, you can just skip to the step with the broth. You may need a bit more broth in the end.

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