Herb Brown Butter Scallops with Champagne Risotto.

We’re getting fun and fancy today with this scallop risotto!

This cozy bowl is loaded with champagne risotto, topped with brown butter herb scallops and drizzled with an extra spoonful of brown butter on top. It’s the ideal I-love-you meal even if you’re just loving yourself. 

Everyone deserves a bowl like this! 

How can I even explain how wonderful this dish is?! I’m sure you can tell by the photos that it’s creamy and rich with flavor. It’s so satisfying and feels super special, especially if you’re not eating out in restaurants much right now. 

I make risotto often (love this baked risotto if you’re looking for something even easier! you can find a step-by-step in my IG highlights) because Eddie loves it. It can be tedious to learn at first, but once you’re in the groove of making it, you just KNOW how to make it. It’s how mother lovett used to bake – like how she just *knew* when things looked right?

That’s how I feel about risotto!

I can tell by how my spoon feels in the rice and how the rice looks once liquid is absorbed. I promise if you cook risotto a few times, you will get it too! Until then, I’ve obviously included this delicious recipe down below for you.

I always have white wine on hand. It’s my preference (when not pregnant, of course) and I use it in cooking quite a bit. I have made red wine risotto too and it’s actually super good. 

When going to grab my white wine for one of the recipe tests here, I landed on a mini bottle of champagne instead. Since it will be quite a while until I can drink champagne again, I happily took the bottle and decided it would work instead. And yes, I was right. 

Oh my gosh – it’s fantastic in this risotto. I did a mostly classic parmesan risotto with a base of champagne instead of pinot grigio. I still used a brut version, which is what we usually prefer anyway for cooking. It was dry enough and oh-so lovely. If you don’t have a bottle of champagne near by or you simply don’t think you will drink the bottle after you use some for the risotto, dry white wine will still work. 

Ooooh let’s get to these scallops.

Scallops are such a treat for us! I grew up eating scallops once a year when my dad would make his baked scallops at the beach (this recipe is in my book Seriously Delish!), and I adore them. Eddie likes them too. These ones here are seared in some browning butter (it continues to brown as the scallops cook) and then showered with a few chopped fresh herbs. The end result is SO simple but buttery, delicious and flavorful.

Plus you just can’t beat that golden sear.

The risotto and scallops together feels like such a luxurious, fancy meal. It’s not one we eat very often and that makes it perfect for a special occasion! It could be a lovely Valentine’s Day meal, or one you cook for yourself and enjoy with the extra champagne. The rice is a but creamy with that classic al dente bite. The scallops melt in your mouth. And let’s just say I love to make some extra brown butter to drizzle all over the bowl once everything is combined.

Might be the definition of heaven.

Scallop Risotto

Herb Brown Butter Scallops with Champagne Risotto

Yield: 4 people

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 45 minutes mins

This scallop risotto is divine! Brown butter herb scallops served on top of champagne risotto. A super special meal made at home!

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Ingredients

champagne risotto

• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 ½ cups arborio rice
• ¾ cup dry champagne, sparkling wine or white wine
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

herb brown butter scallops

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 ½ pounds scallops
• kosher salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Instructions 

champagne risotto

• In a separate saucepan or stock pot, heat the stock on low until it’s warm.
• In another saucepan or pot, heat the olive oil on medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the rice. Cook, stirring often, to toast the rice for 3 to 5 minutes. The rice should be translucent.
• Once the rice is translucent, stir in the champagne. Cook until the champagne has been absorbed. Add 1 cup of the warm stock, stirring continuously, until the stock is absorbed. Repeat again with 1 cup of stock, stirring until absorbed. Repeat this process with another 2 to 3 cups of the stock, until the rice is creamy and al dente. You want it to appear “hydrated” – and want there to be some liquid left when serving. This process should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir in the butter until melted. Stir in the parmesan until melted. Taste the rice and season it with salt and pepper as needed. This will depend on how salty your cheese is, so I suggest adding as much as you need.

herb brown butter scallops

• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Pat the scallops completely dry with a paper towel and season them all over with salt and pepper.
• Add the butter to the pan - it will almost immediately begin to brown in the cast iron. Place the scallops in a single layer in the pan. They cook quickly, so they probably only need about 2 minutes per side, depending on their size! I like to cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn off the heat. Stir in the garlic. They will continue to cook for another minute or so. Sprinkle the chopped parsley and chives over the scallops.
• To make extra brown butter (if you want, not required!), place the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and let the mixture bubble, stirring occasionally, until brown bits begin to appear on the bottom. Once the brown bits appear, turn the heat off and continue to stir for about 30 seconds.
• Scoop the risotto into a bowl and top with the scallops. You can serve this family style, with everything in one large bowl, or as separate servings. Drizzle more brown butter on top. If you’d like, you can sprinkle on some extra parmesan too!

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

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That buttery scallop goodness!