The brilliant green purée topped with the light amber scallops looks like a fabulous abstract painting. The buttery scallops go very well with the sweet, fresh flavors of the minty pea purée.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh or frozen English peas
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped
fresh mint
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Large pinch of paprika
12 large sea scallops (about 12 ounces)

PREPARATION
1 Fill a small saucepan with a couple of inches of water. Bring to a boil, add the peas, and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes for fresh peas, about 1 minute for frozen peas.
2 Place the peas in a blender and add the mint, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Place the pea purée in the saucepan to keep warm.
3 In a medium-heavy sauté pan (preferably cast iron), heat the butter over medium-high heat.
4 Add the lemon juice and paprika. When the butter begins to foam, add the scallops. Cook for 2 minutes per side or until just cooked through and each side is golden to amber brown on top. Spoon the pea purée into two shallow soup dishes, creating a bed, then place the seared scallops on top and serve.