simple (paleo-friendly) - paleo lemon-butter sea scallops with garlic french green beans

simple (paleo-friendly) lemon-butter sea scallops 
with garlic french green beans

My husband recently exclaimed that this was now his favorite dish. He literally licked his plate the last time I made it. No shame. No regrets.  

Tasting like a meal that would cost you at least $20 per plate in these parts of the beach cities. It´s shamefully easy to prepare and can feed 2-3 people for less than $30. WINNING!

We all know that green beans are in the ¨legume family¨ (a no-no for the Paleo diet). But I did some research before I prepared the meal and found this great explanation in the Paleo Magazine website on why green beans are actually, ¨Paleo-friendly¨. Are Green Beans Paleo?

This makes me quite happy as I love green beans so much I could have them everyday. But I have to remember, that they are only, ¨Paleo-friendly¨...not ideal for the Paleo diet. Have this dish on special occasions or twice a month as we do! 

Preparation: 10 minutes (I'm slow, it will probably take you 5 minutes)

Cook: 30 minutes

Serves 3-4 

INGREDIENTS

1 pound of Sea Scallops 

6 tablespoons of grass-fed unsalted butter (I used Keri Gold)

5 cloves of organic garlic, minced (you can use less garlic if you want, I´m preparing for a Vampire apocalypse) 

1 pound of organic French green beans 

Juice from half an organic lemon 

Sea salt 

Black pepper 

Garlic salt

METHOD

1. In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of unsalted grass-fed butter on high. Place thawed green beans into the melted butter then wait about 5 minutes and mix in the minced garlic. Remember to stir the green beans every 5 minutes for the entire 30 minutes (make sure the garlic does not burn). 

2. While the green beans are sautéing, place thawed sea scallops onto a paper towel to absorb water. Pat dry with another paper towel. Once dry, season with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon of garlic salt (if you desire). Remember the Vampires. 

3. About 20 minutes into the green bean sauté (total green bean cook time is about 30 minutes), heat your other non-stick skillet with 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter on medium-high until hot. While the skillet is heating, season the green beans in the other skillet with sea salt and black pepper then lower the heat for about 10 more minutes of sautéing . (During this time, you will be cooking your scallops). 

4. Carefully place scallops into the empty hot skillet, one at a time. Make sure scallops do not touch. 

5. Cook scallops for 2-3 minutes on one side then turn over and slowly pour the lemon juice over the other side. Season the other side if you desire. Remember to turn only once.

6. Cook on the second side for 2-3 more minutes or until your scallop is fully cooked. The scallops should be a nice golden color. *Remember that cooked scallops feel firm and look creamy-white inside.

7. Taste green beans and make sure they have enough salt then remove your green beans and place on plates. 

8. Remove scallops from pan and place them on same plate as the green beans and pour a small spoon of the lemon-butter sauce over the scallops and beans (if you like). 

RAWR like a cavewoman and Enjoy! 

Did you know? 

I was curious on the differences between green beans and French green beans. Thought I would share this Wikipedia explanation.  

Green beans, also known as string bean, snap bean in the northeastern and western United States, or ejotes in Mexico, are the unripe fruit of various cultivars of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris).^[1][2] Green bean cultivars have been selected especially for the fleshiness, flavor, or sweetness of their pods.

Haricots verts, French for "green beans", also known as French beans, French green beans, French filet beans, Fine beans (British English), is a variety of green bean that is longer, thinner, crisp, and tender.^{[citation needed]} It is different from the haricot bean, which is a dry bean.