Blackened Scallops with Sauvignon Blanc-Lemon Caper Sauce

I was rather excited about this dish for a number of reasons. On Saturday, some friends and I drove down to an outlet mall outside NYC. They had a Le Creuset store that, while the cookware was unbelievably expensive, sold a book on cast iron cooking I had to pick up. As you've seen, I have a cast iron skillet I've used a few times before, but now I have a good excuse to use it more often. This dish also allowed me to experiment with a new type of seafood, though scallops aren't quite as "hardcore" as some other saltwater meats. And I tried a new photographing technique which I believe has resulted in better pictures. I'll let you be the judge! [The Centrum Performance in the second picture was not part of the ingredients.]

So down to business: the scallops will be seasoned with a combination of garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt, ground pepper, and your favorite selection of seafood grilling seasonings. Thoroughly cover the scallops and, once some butter has melted into your skillet, add the scallops to cook. By the time they've browned on each side (aim for five minutes per), the meat will be nice and tender inside, so remove them and set them aside.

Now for the part I'm not so sure I got right. Deglaze the pan with some of the white wine and lemon juice, stirring in the bits from the bottom of the skillet. Naturally, the cast iron is full of succulent juices and we'll be using the wine to loosen what's cooked down. However, once I did this, my house was full of steam and now smells completely of almost-burnt seafood (seriously, my windows and doors are open as I write this... a whole day later). Add garlic and the capers, melting in some butter, and cook for a few minutes (not long). Pour this concoction over the scallops and serve!

The sauce in the pictures is dark, yes, but not solid. Interestingly, the meal itself was very flavorful, though the meat quite tender and neutral. The seasoning was alright, but the sauce and capers were both strong - the capers like a pickled olive. Overall, I enjoyed this dish, though I wish I could get the smell out of my house. That's all for now. Farewell!