tarragon scallop dinner
This elegant quinoa and scallop dinner brings together golden seared scallops, roasted fennel, and tender asparagus in a light and tangy tarragon cream sauce. The lemon scented quinoa adds a bright, nutty base that balances the dish, making it feel both comforting and refined - perfect for a cozy yet sophisticated meal.
Why quinoa deserves its redemption arc
Quinoa got overexposed, then abandoned. It went from super food royalty to background noise - the thing you eat when you’re trying to prove a point about wellness. But quinoa never asked to be anyone’s moral compass. It’s just good food that got trapped in bad marketing.
When you stop forcing it into virtue bowls and start cooking it like it deserves flavor - with lemon zest, garlic, and broth - it blooms. It becomes nutty, aromatic, slightly chewy, and honestly… confident. It doesn’t need to be trendy again; it just needs to be respected.
Maybe that’s the real redemption arc - not reinvention, but return. Taking something that got flattened by perfection culture and giving it back its texture, its attitude, its taste.
The science of the perfect sear
There’s something almost primal about that golden crust - the hiss of a hot pan, the scent of caramelizing protein, the moment you know you’ve created flavor from pure physics. A perfect sear isn’t just “browned” - it’s the Maillard reaction in motion: amino acids meeting sugars at high heat to create hundreds of new flavor compounds. You’re not just cooking - you’re engineering complexity. The key is patience and temperature. The pan must be hot enough to drive off moisture instantly, because steam kills sear. Don’t crowd, don’t fuss, don’t flip too early. Let it cling, form, and deepen. Then, when it finally releases, that’s not luck - that’s chemistry rewarding restraint.
Tarragon - the forgotten French muse
Once the darling of French haute cuisine, tarragon has slipped quietly into the background, overshadowed by louder herbs like basil and thyme. But she’s the subtle one - the muse behind Bearnaise sauce, the whisper that turns butter into perfume. Tarragon doesn’t shout; she lingers. Her flavor is elusive - anise, grass, a hint of sweetness that feels both nostalgic and aristocratic. She teaches restraint: too much, and she overpowers; too little, and you miss her entirely. She’s the secret behind dishes that taste expensive without trying. In a world obsessed with boldness, tarragon remains what she’s always been - the elegant mystery that makes simplicity taste like art.
How to make the tarragon scallop dinner?
Rinse quinoa and place in a small pot. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth, lemon zest, and a pinch of minced shallot and garlic. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Cover, bring to boil, then lower the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425f and line a baking sheet with foil. Toss chopped fennel bulb with avocado oil, 1 tbsp tarragon, salt and pepper. Then toss asparagus with 3/4 of the garlic, avocado oil, salt and pepper. Place asparagus on one side of the prepared baking sheet and fennel on the other. Bake for 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus.
Lightly season scallops with salt and pepper. Using a large skillet, heat avocado oil until hot then sear scallops 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove scallops from the skillet and add 3/4 cup vegetable broth, prosecco, 3/4 tsp mustard, and rest of the shallot, tarragon and garlic. Simmer over medium low heat until reduced in half. Then stir in 1/2 cup half and half, bring to simmer and stir in the lemon juice. Check seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed.
Plate the quinoa, asparagus, fennel, and scallops. Top with the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Tips
Dry your scallops. Pat them until they feel almost sticky - moisture is the enemy of a good sear.
Preheat the pan. Wait until it’s just shy of smoking before adding oil; scallops should hiss the instant they touch the surface.
Don’t move them. When they’re truly ready, they will release on their own.
Taste before plating - each element should hum on its own but still belong to the same chord.