Scallops in Double Pepper Sauce **

This is a fast, one-skillet scallop dish that cooks in about 5 minutes once everything is prepped. The “double pepper” comes from both red and green bell peppers slivered thin, plus a hit of hot pepper sauce for heat. Five cloves of garlic go in first to flavor the olive oil, then everything else hits the pan at once.

The key is high heat and constant stirring. Scallops cook fast, and you want them just white and opaque, not rubbery. The peppers should still have crunch when the scallops are done. That crisp-tender contrast against the soft, sweet scallop is what makes this dish work.

Capers stirred in right at the end add little bursts of briny, vinegary flavor that cut through the richness of the olive oil and balance the sweetness of the peppers and scallops.

Pro Tips

• Pat the scallops dry before they go in the pan. Wet scallops steam instead of searing, and you want some color on them.
• Don’t move the scallops around constantly for the first minute. Let them sit and develop a light golden crust on the bottom before stirring.
• Sliver the peppers thin and uniform so they cook at the same rate as the scallops. Thick chunks will still be raw when the seafood is done.
• Use bay scallops for bite-sized pieces or quarter larger sea scallops for similar results.

Variations

• Add a splash of white wine or lemon juice at the end for a brighter, more acidic sauce.
• Toss with linguine or serve over rice to catch the garlicky pan juices.
• Swap scallops for large shrimp, adjusting cooking time to about 3 minutes per side.