Wish Upon A Chef

In an effort to eat healthier, I've lately found my shopping cart filled with items that I don't purchase on a regular basis, scallops being one of them.  I've probably eaten scallops only twice in my life because they don't rank very high on my list of seafoods that I enjoy.  That's not to say that I entirely dislike them, it's just that I don't think about preparing them very often.  That's about to change. 

I recently learned that a three ounce serving of steamed scallops packs a whopping 22 grams of protein and only 1 gram of fat.  They also have omega-3 fatty acids and are loaded with vitamins and minerals ~ magnesium, zinc, phosporous, and B-12 just to name a few.  It's so hard to know these days if what we are eating is, in fact, good for us but that sounds pretty darn healthy, don't you think?

I prepared this  scallop recipe for my Charlotte Healthy Food Examiner column (What?! You didn't realize those awesome articles were coming from me??) and even though I've never been much for curry, I enjoyed it enough that I'll start looking for other ways to use a little bit of curry in my recipes. I guess we just never really know if our tastes have changed unless we keep trying things. 

This recipe for Lemon Caper Scallops from Rachael Ray is quick and easy and only dirties up one pan which is my kind of cooking on a busy weekday evening.  The combination of simple ingredients created a rich and delicious satisfying meal and granted the 1 gram of fat from the scallops was offset by adding the butter, but when I realized that I had only eaten 5 scallops and was completely full, I was okay with that.  I'd rather have added fat from a natural substance like butter instead of  margarine which is highly synthesized and in no way natural because our body does need a source of some fat in the diet.  I had picked up some tomatoes from the farmers' market earlier in the week and served a lovely salad caprese along with this.  A heathy, unprocessed meal! 

Discover (or rediscover) the easiness and deliciousness of scallops with these recipes and keep stepping outside the box by trying foods you haven't in awhile....you may just surprise yourself!

Lemon Caper Scallops
Every Day with Rachael Ray, May 2012

10 large scallops 
5 tablespoons butter 
1 large lemon, peeled, 4 segments chopped and remainder juiced 
2 tablespoons capers, drained 
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Season scallops. In a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium-high. Add scallops; cook until golden, 3 minutes. Transfer to plate. Brown remaining butter. Add remaining ingredients; season. Spoon over scallops.

Well, it's official. Summer is over. Oh sure, according to the calendar it was gone a few weeks ago but was it too much to hope that the few lingering warm days was a sign that summer would hold on just a bit longer? This week brought cooler mornings which make me want to stay in bed and burrow under the covers with my little snuggle bunny, who can be seen here taking up residence on my side of the bed as soon as I got up. I don't so much mind the cooler evenings because I enjoy sitting on the patio with a glass of wine as the sun goes down but I do hate that the days are getting shorter. I also hate that period of time that it takes for my taste buds to give up the ghost of fresh summer fruits and vegetables and acclimate to the tastes of fall. But every time I walk into the grocery store it becomes more readily apparent that it's time to focus on root vegetables, pumpkin inspired desserts, and heartier entrees.

I decided to give summer one last hoorah with this recipe from the August 2008 issue of Bon Appetit for Grilled Scallops and Nectarines with Corn and Tomato Salad. It was a delightful combination of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, and seafood. Scallops are not something that I am extremely fond of, but having only had them 2 times in my life I figured the only way that I'd develop a taste for them is to continue to try them.

Even though this recipe took up half the magazine printed page, once you read through it, you realize that it's fairly simple. I also think it's elegant enough for a dinner party but I did make a few changes to the recipe. I had some prepared basil pesto that I used instead of making it but quite honestly, I don't like pesto. Again, I wanted to try it just for the sake of maybe my taste buds had changed, but no. I will leave it out completely next time. Also, the recipe left the corn raw but I sauteed it for a few minutes in just a bit of butter because the idea of raw corn just wasn't appealing to me or most of the 47 reviewers who commented on the recipe. And for once, I think my photo looks better than the one posted on the website. I used a grill pan and prepared this indoors because we have a huge grill and some days it's just too much trouble to deal with. Today was one of those days.

Paired with a nice glass of chilled Pinot Grigio, this was the perfect farewell to my old friend summer. Until next year!!


Grilled Scallops & Nectarines with Corn & Tomato Salad
Serves: 6

Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
1/8 teaspoon (generous) piment d'Espelette or chili powder
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel

Basil Puree:
3/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel

Salad:
24 large sea scallops, side muscles removed, patted dry
3 firm but ripe nectarines (white or yellow), each cut into 6 wedges
Olive oil, for brushing
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from 2 large ears of corn
24 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
Fleur de sel

For dressing:
Whisk lime juice, lime peel, and piment d'Espelette in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with fleur de sel and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

For basil puree:
Blanch basil in small pot of boiling salted water 30 seconds; drain. Squeeze to remove as much water as possible, then coarsely chop. Puree basil and oil in blender until smooth. Transfer to small bowl. Season to taste with fleur de sel. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Return to room temperature before using.

For salad:
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush scallops and nectarines with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill scallops until slightly charred and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Grill nectarines until slightly charred, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer scallops and nectarines to plate. Arrange 4 scallops on each of 6 plates. Toss corn and 2 tablespoons dressing in medium bowl. Toss tomatoes with 1 tablespoon dressing in another bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon corn around scallops. Scatter tomatoes over corn. Arrange nectarine wedges decoratively on plates. Drizzle some dressing over scallops, then spoon some basil puree over. Sprinkle sliced basil and fleur de sel over corn and tomatoes and serve.