The Busy Gourmand

Scallops are just one of those luxuries you need to serve once in awhile.  When cooked correctly they are sweet and milky.  I grew accustomed to scallops in a buttery sauce.  Which is nice, but I wanted to create a little more of a contrast with the flavor of the scallops.  I took some of the usual vegetable suspects and mixed them with a little ginger and soy sauce and out came this dish.  It is a nice contrast of the milky, sweet scallop with the crunchy sharpness of the vegetables.  And when done correctly it should take about 20 minutes at most.

• 12 large sea scallops, preferably fresh or flash frozen
• 1 large stalk celery
• 1 large carrot
• 1/2 sweet red pepper (or other pepper, the red is for the color)
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2 tablespoons finely diced fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup dry white wine (pinot grigio or savignon blanc)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• flour for dusting the scallops
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Chop the celery, the carrot, the pepper, and the onion into a medium dice.  The ginger should be in a fine dice.  In a saute pan heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Add the vegetables to the pan along with a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until the ginger becomes prominently fragrant, about 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the white wine and the soy sauce.  Allow the liquids to reduce but not completely for about 2 more minutes.  Remove the vegetables from the heat.

In a separate saute pan heat the olive oil and the butter over medium high heat.  Pat the scallops dry with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then dust lightly with the flour.  Add the scallops to the pan and allow to brown for 1 or 2 minutes, no more.  Turn the scallops and allow to brown on the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes.

Place the warm vegetables in the center of the plate and place three of the scallops on top of the vegetables.  Serve immediately.

This makes about 4 appetizer size portions of 3 scallops.  In my case this makes a whole entree but others think this is chintzy.

I have also cut the vegetables into matchstick size pieces.  This makes for an interesting presentation.  It tastes the same.

You can also substitute other fish if there are no scallops handy or shellfish are not your thing.  Below is a version using a basa swai fillet.

Basa Swai with Asian Vegetables

Gluten Free Version

Replace the flour with corn starch when dusting.  It does not change the flavor dramatically.