One of the food sites I keep coming back to, Chubby Hubby, had a great simple dinner menu recommended for Valentine’s Day, and I sort of took his advice on a pre-dinner nibble to tide us over till the main meal was done, which took awhile. Between the prep for Beef Wellington and a bottle of pinot, we didn’t sit down till late. His idea called for scallops grilled in the shell with bits of bacon and Parmesan and drizzled with a little garlic, soy, and lemon after they cooked off. Mine were a little different and presented a little less elegantly, sans shell, but came out nicely.
scallops:
5-6 scallops
tsp salted butter
1 grated garlic clove
drizzle of soy sauce
wedge of lemon
pinch of grated ginger
minced fresh red/hot pepper
bit of grated Parmesan
Set oven to preheat on broil. Sear the scallops in a smoking hot pan for about 30 seconds on a side. Scallops cook fast – err on side of caution. Pull the scallops aside to sit for a second, and mix the pepper, ginger and garlic in the same pan. You should still have plenty of butter and a bit of scallop juice left in there. Saute that for a minute or so till the garlic is a bit brown, and remove from the heat. Arrange the scallops in an oven dish, top each with a bit of the garlic mixture and a few sprinkles of Parmesan and set in the oven on the top rack. You just want the cheese to melt a bit, and since the scallops are already cooked, this takes less than a minute. Plate them, sprinkle a bit of soy, squeeze your lemon over it all and have at it. Lots of strong flavors compete for your attention, but the ginger and spice add a slow heat that tastes and even feels great.
