seared sea scallops with lime, spinach & walnuts

this has been one of our favorite recipes over the years
serves 4–6

• 1/4 c walnuts
• 1 t sugar
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 t lime zest
• 2 t olive oil
• 1 t dijon mustard
• 1 t minced shallots
• 2 lbs. sea scallops
• 1/2 t olive oil
• 2 t minced garlic
• 1 & 1/2 lbs. spinach leaves
• salt & pepper to taste

carmelizing the walnuts:
combine nuts and sugar in a non-stick pan over medium heat. stir until the sugar melts and forms a syrup which coats the nuts (about 2 minutes). quickly transfer the nuts to a plate.

searing the scallops:
in a non-reactive container, combine half the lime juice, the zest, oil, mustard, shallots and some black pepper. toss in the scallops and marinate for an hour in the refrigerator.

heat a heavy-duty pan over medium heat and brush with a little oil. remove scallops from marinade and sear on one side (without moving them) for about 2 minutes. this may have to be done in batches. turn and sear until browned on the other side (about 2 minutes). when all the scallops are cooked, transfer them to a clean bowl and return the pan to the stove and deglaze with the remaining lime juice, scraping up all the browned bits. pour this pan juice over the scallops, set aside and keep warm.

spinach & assembly:
rinse the pan and heat olive oil over medium heat. add the garlic to cook just slightly, then add the spinach leaves and cook briefly, stirring until the leaves wilt.  make a nest of the spinach on each serving plate, then arrange scallops and accumulated juices on the spinach and top with walnuts.