Our Garden and Table n'at: Scallops

You don't have to go out to a fine seafood restaurant for wonderful pan seared sea scallops. They are a real treat but a little tricky to get done just right at home. Here is an easily understandable technique that makes pan searing scallops very approachable. ENJOY!

Pan-Seared Scallops with Arugula Pesto

Cooking scallops so they get a nice crusty sear requires a hot pan so that they sear rather than steam. But they also need to be dry when they hit the pan. Most scallops you buy at the store have been soaked in a liquid solution that keeps them looking white. So you'll need to drain and rinse them thoroughly, then pat them dry with paper towels before you season them. If you're lucky, your seafood purveyor carries "dry-packed" scallops, which haven't been treated with this liquid. If so, you don't need to rinse them, just season them with a little olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper and they're ready to cook. Scallops have an gristle like muscle,sometimes called a "foot" on the side. It's a tough little tab of meat that you should pull off before cooking because it can be kind of chewy. Once your scallops are dry and seasoned, heat a nonstick sauté pan - I like a well seasoned cast iron skillet, over medium high heat, and add a tablespoon of unsalted butter and a little vegetable oil. The oil/butter mixture needs to be very hot before you add the scallops.

I have included a recipe for a base of roasted eggplant for extra flavor. Yes!

Serves 4

Ingredients

12 large sea scallops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Place the scallops on a plate, drizzle with just a little olive oil (so the salt and pepper will stick) and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a 12" non-stick heavy frying pan over a medium high heat and cook the scallops for 2 minute each side.
A 12" skillet is better for this many scallops, they need to be uncrowded so they don't steam.

Make ahead of time -

Arugula pesto

Makes 1/3 cup

Ingredients

1 large bunch arugula (about 1 packed cup), trimmed and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients together in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and pulse until smooth.

Eggplant spread

This silky dip gets its flavor from garlic and thyme, stuffed into slits in the eggplant before it's grilled. For a rustic look and feel, serve it on crispy grilled crostini.

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients

3 medium eggplant (about 4 pounds), halved

4 cloves garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced lengthwise

12 1-inch pieces fresh thyme

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

3 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (a combination of parsley and basil)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Arrange eggplant cut side up on a baking sheet.
Make slits in eggplant and insert garlic and thyme.
Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil.
Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Bake until tender, about 1 hour.
Remove from oven; let stand until cool, about 20 minutes.

Scoop flesh into a food processor.
Add herbs, 2 tablespoons oil, and lemon juice.
Puree until smooth.
Pulse the ingredients with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to combine.
This will keep refrigerated up to 3 days.
Serve with crackers or crostini, or as in this case as a base for the seared scallops.

You won't find squid ink pasta in your local supermarket, you'll have to go to an Italian specialty market or order it on-line, but it's worth it, if only for the great visual wow factor it makes on the plate. The black color of squid ink pasta comes from, you guessed it, squid ink. There's not a big difference in taste from regular pasta, just a slight salty sea flavor which makes it perfect to pair with seafood. I've made this dish a number of times. It's always a treat.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 pound medium shrimp, de-veined, shells removed tails on

12 medium scallops

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 medium chili pepper sliced thin
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Zest from 1 lemon

Juice from 1 lemon

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 package squid ink spaghetti (if unable to find it, use regular spaghetti)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.

Add the garlic and sliced chili to the pan. Cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes.

Add the shrimp and sauté until opaque, about 1 minute each side. Remove to a plate.

Reheat oil turn up the heat to medium high and cook the scallops until they are opaque and lightly browned, 2 minutes each side. Remove the scallops to the plate with the shrimp.

Add the wine until reduced by half, about 8 minutes.

While the wine is reducing, cook the pasta in a large pot of lightly salted water until it is al dente.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, salt and pepper to the skillet with the reduced wine and return the seafood to the skillet, adding the basil and parsley, mixing well. Keep warm.

Drain the pasta well, add to the pan with the scallops and shrimp. Toss together well, and serve immediately.