Lemon Pepper Scallops with Fruit Salsa →

Quick-seared, tender, slightly spicy scallops are paired with a simple fruit salsa using delicate ripe honeydew melon and creamy avocado dressed with EVOO, lime, and cilantro. This quick, delicious recipe can be served as a light meal or as the first course for a special dinner. Use ripe, sweet honeydew melon, and ripe, but still firm, avocados. If you can find them, use dry, air-chilled, or day scallops instead of chemically treated scallops which often have a slightly bitter taste from the chemical preservatives used. I use a blackened scallops method to cook the scallops, but I season the scallops with lemon pepper which is milder than blackening spice which would over-power the delicate fruit salsa. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Cheers!

Lemon Pepper Scallops with Fruit Salsa
Serves: 4

For the Salsa
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

• 2 cups diced honeydew melon ½-¼ inch dice

• 2 Hass avocados, cut into ½-¼ inch dice

• 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped red onion (to taste)

• 2 heaping tablespoons of chopped cilantro

• 1-2 teaspoons minced red Serrano pepper (to taste)

• ¼ teaspoon salt and about 6 grinds of freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the lime zest and juice with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the diced honeydew melon and avocado. Add the onion, cilantro, and Serrano and mix gently to incorporate. Season the salsa with salt and black pepper. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the scallops.

For the Scallops
Preheat the grill and a cast iron skillet until the skillet is very hot.

Ingredients

• 3-4 large sea scallops per person (preferably day scallops or dry air chilled, tough muscle removed)

• Lemon pepper (make your own or find it in the spice section of your local market)

• ½ tablespoon EVOO

• ½ tablespoon butter

Preparation

1. Sprinkle the scallops liberally with lemon pepper

2. Add the butter and EVOO to the pre-heated, very hot skillet and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet (Remember, the skillet is extremely hot. Use a padded mitt to avoid burning your hand)

3. Add one scallop at a time, pressing down gently on the skillet to get an even sear.

4. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes per side. Use tongs to turn over after 2 minutes.

5. Using tongs, remove the scallops from the skillet and tent to keep warm while you plate the salsa.

6. Spoon the salsa on top of a leaf of lettuce and top with the scallops. Enjoy!

Wine pairing: a dry white wine like Vermentino, Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis, Soave, or Viognier. A chilled dry Rosé would also work.

The fruit salsa is adapted from a recipe by Marcia Kniesel at Food & Wine.

Lobster with Fried Gnocchi, Tomatoes, and Pea Purée →

The dining ritual of eating a lobster roll while in Maine or on Cape Cod is deeply ingrained in the tourist industry of New England. When vacationing on the coast of New England, you don’t have to pay $30. for a lobster roll you can make at home by toasting a hot dog roll and adding a couple of spoonfuls of fresh lobster meat tossed with a quick tarragon aioli. Easy peasy! Having spent much of my childhood growing up on the New England coast, when I go to a restaurant, I prefer to order a dish that I don’t usually make at home. This recipe was inspired by a dish I had at Mac’s Shack seafood restaurant in Wellfleet on Cape Cod. I was so impressed with the original dish, I had to recreate my version of it at home. I hope you like it!

Lobster with Fried Gnocchi and Pea Purée
Serves 2
Ingredients:

• 2 lobster tails

• 6-8 boiled gnocchi per person (homemade or from the market)

• 1 cup of frozen peas

• 1 smallish shallot chopped

• 1-2 cloves of garlic chopped

• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

• zest from half a lemon (optional)

• 1 cup bottled clam juice, fish stock, or chicken stock

• ¼ cup dry white wine

• 1 heaping tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon

• 1 heaping tablespoon of fresh flat-leaf parsley

• 2 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 4 cherry tomatoes

• pinch of white pepper and salt to taste

• pea sprouts for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Make the Pea Purée:

Photo; c. foodblogchef 2021

1. In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic and shallot over medium heat until just translucent (not browned).

2. Add the red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds.

3. Add the stock and white wine and bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the peas and white pepper and boil for a minute and remove from heat

5. Strain the peas reserving the liquid.

6. Using a blender or Magic Bullet, add the tarragon and parsley, half the liquid, and the pea mixture and purée until smooth. Add more reserved liquid if necessary to achieve the sauce consistency you want.

7. Taste and adjust the salt to taste.

Sauté the lobster and tomatoes:

Photo: c. foodblogchef

1. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet and sauté the lobster tails covered over medium heat for about 5 minutes adding a ¼ cup of water to create steam.

2. Remove the lobster tails and cut them lengthwise to gently remove the flesh from the shell and set aside.

3. To the same skillet, add a bit more oil if needed, and sauté the tomatoes cut face down for a minute or two to your desired doneness. Remove from heat and set aside.

Boil and fry the gnocchi:

1. Boil the gnocchi according to package directions, or if you’re using fresh homemade gnocchi, add the gnocchi to well-salted boiling water. Wait for them to rise to the surface and continue cooking for a minute. Remove from the water using a slotted spoon to drain the water.

2. To the same skillet, you cooked the lobster in, over medium-high heat, melt a tablespoon of butter and fry the boiled gnocchi until golden brown on two sides.

Plate the dish:

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

1. Spread the pea purée equally on two plates and top with 4 half tomatoes on each plate. Distribute the fried gnocchi and top with chopped lobster meat. Garnish with pea sprouts.

Wine pairing: dry white wines like Chablis, Chardonnay, Albariño, Vermentino.

Baked Scallops in Wine Sauce →

This recipe is a simplified riff on the classic French dish Cocquilles St. Jacques. Traditionally the dish is served on a scallop shell as a tribute to Saint-Jacques (Saint James) the patron saint of pilgrims making the religious journey to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. There are many myths associated with Saint-Jacques, just as with many classic dishes, there are numerous interpretations of the recipe. Some versions poach the scallops first, some use Gruyère cheese, some add a touch of curry powder to the sauce, etc., etc. My goal is to make the recipe easy and accessible while preserving the delicious character of the wine sauce and making it virtually impossible to overcook the scallops. Garnished with chopped parsley, the dish can be served as an impressive first course for a special meal, or as a light main course with Sweet Potato Puree and a simple salad. The light creamy citrus and nutmeg-inflected sweet potato provides some color and an interesting alternative flavor profile to white potatoes which often accompany the dish.

Baked Scallops in Wine Sauce
Makes 6-8 first-course servings; 4 main course

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 ounce)

• 1 1/4 cups dry white wine

• 1 cup clam juice or fish stock

• 1/2 small onion, sliced

• 1/2 Turkish or 1/4 California bay leaf

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 tablespoon Cognac or Brandy (optional but recommended)

• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

• 1 pound sea scallops, tough muscle removed from the side of each if necessary, and scallops cut into 3/4-inch pieces

• 1/2 pound small mushrooms, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced lengthwise

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

• pinch of cayenne (optional)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

1. Mix the Panko and Parmesan cheese with 2 tablespoons of melted butter and set aside.

2. Add wine, clam juice, onion, bay leaf, salt, and pepper to a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer until reduced to about 1 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour the cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the saucepan with a paper towel.

3. Cook the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cognac, lemon zest, and scallops and mix to coat the scallops. (You’re not cooking the scallops at this point.) Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

4. Whisk together the cream and egg yolk in a heatproof bowl.

5. Make a roux by melting 2 tablespoons butter to the cleaned saucepan over moderately low heat, then add the flour and cook stirring until the roux begins to turn a pale golden color.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and add the reduced cooking liquid in a stream, whisking constantly. Return the pan to heat and simmer, whisking constantly until the sauce thickens.

7. Pour the sauce in a slow stream into the cream mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the sauce back into the pan, add the pinch of cayenne, and simmer, whisking for a minute. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

8. Stir scallops and mushrooms into the sauce, then divide among scallop shells or oven-safe ramekins and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.

9. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan in the upper third of the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

10. Garnish with finely chopped parsley as a first course, or as a main course with warm Sweet Potato Puree piped or spooned around the edge of the scallops accompanied by a salad.

Wine pairing: white wine: a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, or Albariño would stand up to the rich creamy sauce, but not overpower the delicate scallops.