Seared Scallops With Roasted Tomatoes

From Cooking Light April 2009. Use a cast-iron skillet to create a brown crust on the scallops and cook them in a flash; broiling tomatoes intensifies their sweetness with minimal effort. Serve on fettuccine tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and grated lemon rind.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3  cups grape tomatoes
•  cooking spray
• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 lbs sea scallops
• 2  tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Arrange tomatoes in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan; lightly coat tomatoes with cooking spray. Sprinkle tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss well to coat. Broil 10 minutes or until tomatoes begin to brown, stirring occasionally.
3. While tomatoes cook, heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Pat scallops dry; sprinkle both sides of scallops with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add scallops to skillet; cook 2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve scallops with tomatoes; sprinkle with basil.
4. Serving size = about 4 1/2 ounces scallops, about 1/3 cup tomatoes, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil.