Learn to make buttery pan-seared scallops from American Cut in Buckhead

I had a work event at a really incredible restaurant in the Buckhead area called American Cut. I am not a big meat eater so I ended up ordering the scallops and they were so delicious. I was impressed! I was thinking, I have an old recipe from my great-grandmother, a rice dish, that I think would go well with the scallops but I have never made scallops at home. Are you able to get this recipe from the chef at the restaurant? If so, that would be amazing! Appreciate your help, AJC! — Louise Cusati, Sandy Springs

John Adamson, managing partner for American Cut in The Shops at Buckhead, sent us this recipe and explained how he came to create it. “I came up with the scallop dish for our spring menu. I always thought that scallops need a little heat to complement their buttery and mild flavor. The idea is to add almost a little too much spice to the flavor of the scallop then level it out with the coolness of the cucumber and round it off with the crisp vinegar finish.”

The sauce that accompanies the scallops is indeed spicy. Adamson says you can make it even spicier by finely dicing one or more of the chipotle peppers from that can of chipotles in adobo sauce.