Scallops Sure Are Tasty

I love scallops! No, let me say it again, I LOVE scallops. Be they bay or sea, they’re all good to me. It turns out, scallops, in addition to their delectable taste, contain a variety of nutrients that can promote your cardiovascular health, plus provide protection against colon cancer. Whoda thunk?

This concoction is one that I like to do due to its lack of prep and cook time; plus its pretty easy. I was at the Whole Foods here in Roswell, picking up items for the New Year feast and I passed the seafood department. Well, there is a reason that my wife, Becky, will not let me go to Whole Foods by myself. I also am not supposed to go to the Sam’s Club by myself either, but that is another story. I digress…

I saw these scallops, these huge bundles of joy just sitting in the case with their fresh mollusk friends, just waiting for me to summon the fishmonger. We are right in the thick of time for “fresh” sea scallops as the season for fresh sea scallops and bay scallops runs from October through March.

The fishmonger sees me looking and moves toward the case…

“Dude", I said, “might I have eight of those beauties?” He complied. I had no idea that they were so big that eight of them amounted to 1.75 pounds! Yikes! I love them, but, um… that’s a lot of scallop protein. I got them anyways thinking four scallops a person is reasonable.

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Have a look at these babies:

Now, these are scallops! So despite what I was going to cook for dinner, these took center stage immediately. I never like to wait to cook scallops more than either the day I bought them or the day after. These are diver scallops and the cost reflects that, but they are sooooooo good!

What I have planned for them is nothing more than to enhance their already sweet, succulent flavor. So I decided on pan-searing them, which they take to very well. I figured on a pan sauce using white wine, lemon, and basil. I would have used tarragon but I left it at Whole Foods.

So this concoction consists of risotto, saffron, lemon, garlic, wine, shallot, fresh basil, and these huge scallops. Oh yeah, I added one half of a head of orange cauliflower; you know to balance out the dish and momma always said that I have to have a vegetable.

So let’s get started shall we?

For the risotto:

1 cup arborio rice
3 cups low chicken stock (I used low sodium)
1/3 (to half) cup chopped sweet onion
small pinch saffron (This is very expensive to get. A good deal is here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/103-9416217-4975833?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=saffron
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 (to half) cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp turmeric (optional; I like it when I use saffron)

Pour stock into a sauce pan and place over low-medium heat. Place another medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and oil. When butter is mostly melted, add onion and sweat for about 5 minutes. Then add rice, garlic, and saffron.

Continue simmering rice and ladling stock just to cover the rice until all of the stock is gone and rice is tender. This should take about twenty minutes. When rice is tender and creamy, add butter, cheese, and cream. Cover and place on low heat.

On to the scallops!

Wash the scallops and remove the small, tough muscle found on one side of each scallop, if it is still attached. You don’t want to be eating this.
Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil, not EVOO, just regular olive oil. When the butter is melted and the oil is shimmering, add the scallops. Add them using the Alton Brown clock method; add one scallop at 12 o’clock, add the next at one o’clock, and so on. This will help when it comes time to turn them as you will know which scallop has been cooking the longest. After getting the scallops into the pan, DON’T TOUCH THEM!. Let the cook for about 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, then turn them.

They should be nice and caramelized. After cooking for another two minutes, remove them from the pan, place them on a baking sheet and into an oven on warm. Don’t worry, they won’t dry out, we’ll be quick with the sauce.

For the sauce:

1/3 cup white wine (nothing you wouldn’t drink!)
2 tbsp butter
tsp lemon zest
juice of one lemon
tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
De-glaze the pan with the wine, scraping the bottom for the goodness bits. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until reduced by 1/3 - 1/2, about four minutes.