Fill a small saucepan with a couple of inches of water. Bring to a boil, add the peas and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes for fresh peas, about 1 minute for frozen peas. Place the peas in a blender and add the mint, garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth. Place the pea puree in the saucepan to keep warm.

In a medium heavy saute pan (preferably cast iron) heat the butter over medium-high heat. 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 puree into two shallow soup dishes, creating a bed, then place the seared scallops on top and serve.