Spiced Scallops with Braised Red Cabbage

Ingredients

• Scallops

  raw, mixed species

  12 oz or 340g

• Red cabbage

  raw

  3 cup, shredded or 210g

• Butter

  unsalted

  2 tbsp or 28g

• Bay leaf

  dried

  1 leaf or 0.2g

• Salt

  table

  ½ tsp or 3g

• Black pepper

  ground

  ¼ tsp or 0.5g

• Water

  6 tbsp or 89g

• Balsamic vinegar

  1 ½ tbsp or 24g

• Nutmeg

  ground

  ¹⁄₁₆ tsp or 0.1g

• Cloves

  ground

  ¼ tsp or 0.5g

• Cumin seed

  ¼ tsp, ground or 0.8g

Directions

1. Trim the small side muscle from the scallops, if present. Core and thinly slice the red cabbage.
2. Melt half of the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage, whole bay leaves, and half the salt and pepper; toss to coat.
3. Stir in two-thirds of the water and two-thirds of the balsamic vinegar. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cabbage to a warm platter and keep covered.
4. In a small bowl, combine the nutmeg, cloves, cumin, and the remaining salt and pepper. Pat the scallops dry and season both sides with the spice mix.
5. Wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining butter and heat over medium-high until the foaming subsides. Sear the scallops, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 5 minutes total; place atop the cabbage.
6. Add the remaining water and vinegar to the skillet. Boil, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes, then pour over the scallops and cabbage.
7. Discard the bay leaves. Serve immediately.