Sea Scallops et al.

Back to back posts - imagine that!  (I must be feeling inspired.)

In the spirit of quick, easy, delicious recipes, here’s one I did last night, which could not have taken me more than 20 minutes total, and that’s no exaggeration.  Granted, if you’re not familiar with it and you’re working from a recipe it could take a bit longer, but still I’d say no longer than 30 minutes, and that’s the truth.

I was grocery shopping with my mom and had a seafood crave (nothing new there, as I usually crave seafood).  We stopped by the fish monger and the sea scallops were so fresh, there was no resisting them.  What to do?  Well, last time I made sea scallops, I added a side of lemon risotto.  But risotto takes a while, even if you’re working as quickly as I generally do.  (This may come as a surprise to some who know me, as I tend to move very slowly even for rather a young person, but in the kitchen I’m sort of supersonic - go figure.  Mom and I call it “going into the zone” and that’s how it is.)

I patted the sea scallops dry (note: sea scallops are the larger ones, not the tiny pearl sized bay scallops which for those of us on Long Island who eat the Peconic bay scallops, harvest season is in autumn, so the rest of the year we eat sea scallops), and heated some olive oil and a pat of unsalted butter in a large skillet.  I seasoned the scallops on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper and seared them on both sides, no more than 3 minutes per side (I often cook even less than that but my dad likes fish cooked a bit more thoroughly so I gave it an extra minute), and then placed the scallops on plates with a lemon wedge and a sprinkling of fresh finely chopped thyme leaves.

I set aside the pan drippings and poured it into a small bowl, hit it with a few drops of fresh lemon juice and a touch of thyme, and that was the dipping sauce for a fresh loaf of ciabatta bread.

The side salad was baby kale (I rarely eat kale as it seems to be one of those trendy things and I tend to avoid trendy items) but the baby kale was organic and beautifully irresistible and so that was the leaf of choice, with tiny yellow tomatoes, and a lemon and shallot vinaigrette dressing.

I chose an organic Sancerre rose to pair with it.  It’s becoming rose season now, with the warm weather upon us at last.  (Remember, Sancerre is a region, not a grape - so if you’re thinking, I thought Sancerre is white, it is, but only when it’s made with Sauvignon Blanc.  If it’s red or rose, it’s Pinot Noir.  And Sancerre is AOC in the Loire Valley of France.)  The crisp bright acidity and clean texture of the wine, with notes of barely ripened strawberry and red fruit, a touch of cranberry, white citrus fruit, and stony mineral, made for a perfect pairing.

So there’s a healthy, easy dinner and wine pairing best suited for the warmer months, in just around 20 minutes including prep and cook time.  Enjoy!