Seared Scallops with Summer Vegetables & Pancetta

Pan Seared Scallops with a zucchini, corn & pancetta. This is an end of summer, grab what I have in the fridge and throw it in a pan, kind of veggie mixture. With pan seared scallops on top. Do I even need to write anything else? But if you need more details and tips on how we cook this end of summer gorgeous platter, I have you covered.

“End of Summer” Side Dish

At the end of the day, you can eat this zucchini, pancetta, corn dish with steak, fish, chicken, but I had to pair it with scallops for this really hearty, warm summer dish. For those cool nights at the beach or on the deck.

Cubed pancetta, when cooked correctly, renders the fat turns into these tiny little crispy bits of bacony goodness that add the best flavor to just about anything. Bacon sprinkles. Making mental note now to put those on a chocolate chip cookie or an egg in the future. So anyway, you will be cooking the pancetta cubes on low most of the time that your zucchini is cooking so it is very no stress.

If the pancetta cooks faster than the zucchini, that’s okay just scoop it out and set the pan and cooked cubes aside. If the zucchini cooks fast, that’s okay too. Lower your heat a little early. Use that heat to your advantage when you add the garlic & butter! Then corn, cooked pancetta, and let it all hang out together while we sear the scallops.

Searing Scallops

The most important part of searing a scallop is getting your fat or oil really hot so it makes a really nice sear. Same goes for steak and just about any meat. So we just place them right in the hot oil and press down a little. Let them form a crust and cook almost entirely (about 3 mins)> When you flip it is really just about a minute until it’s fully cooked.

Keep in mind the size of your scallops, a smaller one may cook a little quicker and barely need to cook once flipped.

A light sprinkling of parmesan over the zucchini, corn and pancetta, paired with a squeeze of lemon, tastes damn good & I can’t wait for you to try it. Craving another scallop dish? I have it paired with a simple pasta in this recipe.

And finally, if you make these Pan Seared Scallops w/ Zucchini, Corn & Pancetta please let me know what you think in the comments. I want all of your thoughts. Or you can share them with me on my Instagram.

Easy End of Summer Scallop w. Zucchini & Pancetta

5 from 2 votes

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1lb Scallops
• 2 lbs Zucchini (about 4 meadium sized)
• 2 stalks Corn
• 4 oz Cubed Pancetta
• 2 tbs Basil tarragon is also great
• 1 Lemon
• 1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbs Salted Butter
• Salt
• 1 oz Parmigianno Reggiano*
• 1-2 Garlic Cloves minced

Instructions

 

• Prep Ingredients:  Cut zucchini into small chunks. Remove corn from stalk, mince garlic & chop tarragon. Remove scallops from fridge, pat dry. Make sure to remove side muscle.*
• Cook Pancetta: You’ll need 2 skillets. In a small skillet, cook pancetta on medium-low until fat has rendered & pancetta starts to get brown and crispy. Scoop pancetta out with a slotted spoon & set skillet with fat aside. We’re going to use it!  This should take 5-10 minutes. You can start cooking veggies while this is going on.
• Cook Veggies: In your second, larger skillet, add 1tbs oil & let heat for 2 mins on medium heat. Add zucchini, toss zucchini in oil & pinch salt. Stop touching them & let them brown on one side. Leave to sit for about 5 minutes. Toss zucchini, there should be some browning. Next, add butter, garlic & tarragon. The butter should sizzle, garlic will cook and everything will smell super delicious. Turn heat to very low. Add corn & pancetta & toss. Let sit in very low heat to stay warm.
• Sear Scallops: Place the skillet you cooked the pancetta in (not cleaned) back on high heat. Add a splash more oil if it seems a little dry. Make sure oil is hot. Salt & Pepper your scallops on one side. Add scallops to pan. They should sizzle when they hit the pan. If it doesn’t, take it out and wait another minute. Add scallops to skillet working in batches. Cook them, salt side down. Cook on high 3-4 minutes. Flip for 30 seconds until scallop is just completely opaque & remove. Add to veggies & pancetta to keep warm while searing the others.
• Serve scallops and zucchini pancetta mixture with squeeze of lemon & fresh grated parmesan.

Home Cook’s Notes

Things to Know: 

-You can sub with your favorited grate parm, but I just prefer parm reg here 

-Scallop Side Muscle: If your scallop has a small flap on the side of it, that is the muscle where it used to be connected to the shell. 

– You will be working with 2 skillets, preferably one small and one large, but in the end it doesn’t matter too much! This will be a good recipe to work on controlling heat well. Let pancetta cook medium-low, it can render for as long as ten mins.