quick dinner: seared scallops and veggies

I have been so busy with work and life lately, that I find it difficult to come up with a dinner plan that won’t take time to execute. My first go to is any sort of protein that is relatively healthy, easy to cook, and that requires little addition in terms of flavor. Chicken is a great protein for quick dinners, but it generally requires additional thought about a sauce or a complicated preparation. Last night, I just didn’t have time to worry about how best to make chicken taste delicious. However, another great option that I love, is fish or shellfish. Seafood cooks so quickly, and is unusual enough in the repertoire that it usually takes a simple seasoning with salt and pepper to be delicious. I love scallops in restaurants and, when they are paired with a simple vegetable salad or side, they shine with just some salt and pepper.

We are so lucky to have a good fish and seafood store right by our apartment (that is open relatively late), Eataly. It has delicious seafood, and everytime I’ve gotten scallops from there they have been fresh and delicious. Their groceries and produce can be expensive (it is a specialty store) but their seafood and meats have always been delicious and relatively well priced for the quality.

The key to searing scallops is to make sure they are very dry. I always rinse seafood before I cook it, but with scallops they must be as dry as possible in order to get a good caramelized sear to them. And only salt/pepper them right before you’re putting them in the hot pan. This is a great quick dinner that I am constantly using, especially during hectic weeks.

Seared Scallops with Zucchini Ribbon Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients

For Salad: 

2 zucchinis

1/2 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup pine nuts

salt and pepper to taste

For Scallops:

6-8 scallops

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Using a slicer, cut zucchinis lengthwise into big flat ribbons. Once they are sliced, place into a microwave safe bowl.

2. Put into a microwave for 30 seconds, remove, and set aside.

3. Juice the lemon into a small bowl. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix using a fork. Drizzle over the zuchhini. Toss to dress, and sprinkle with pine nuts. Set aside.

4. Carefully remove the tags on the scallops and rinse. The tag is what I call the small rectangular fleshy piece where the scallop meat attaches to the shell. I always remove these because they get tough when cooked and the scallops look prettier. Rinse and dry the cleaned scallops thoroughly with paper towels. Once dried, transfer to a dry paper towel and set aside. Wait to salt the scallops  until right before they go in the pan (I am talking about a few seconds before) because the salt will draw out additional moisture and prevent good caramelization, nullifying your diligent drying done earlier.

5. In a frying pan over a medium-high flame, heat the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmery (when you can tell it is hot), lightly salt and pepper the top side of the scallops. Immediately place seasoned side down in hot pan, laying them away from you (so the oil won’t spit and burn your arms). The oil is hot (you want it that way) and so they spit a little. Leave them alone for 2-3 minutes to develop a nice golden crust. While they are cooking, season the tops with salt and pepper.

6. After 2-3 minutes on the first side, use tongs to flip the scallops and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes. I prefer mine medium, so I tend to err on the side of undercooked instead of over-cooked. Once they are slightly firm to the touch, remove from pan and place on a plate.

7. To plate the meal, arrange the zucchini salad in the middle of the plate. Put 3-4 scallops on top of the zucchini salad. Serve warm and enjoy.

I saw some fantastic sweet corn at the farmers market when I was getting zucchini, so I just boiled it, rubbed with the leftover lemon, and sprinkled it with fancy salts (I used pink fleur de sel and R. used truffle fleur de sel). It was a perfect quick dinner date!