The simple, delicious and versatile ginger sauce would also be terrific with shrimp. Look for rice vinegar in the Asian foods section of the supermarket. Serve the scallops with crusty bread or rice.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Add 12 scallops to skillet and sear until brown, about 1 minute per side; transfer to bowl. Sear remaining 12 scallops; transfer to same bowl. Add ginger and garlic to skillet and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine and vinegar and boil 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add cream and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 3 minutes. Return scallops and any collected juices to skillet. Simmer until scallops are just opaque in center, about 2 minutes. Mix in cilantro and green onion.