I am so happy Derek got his allergy test last year and found out that he ws not, in fact, allergic to scallops, one of my all-time favorite foods. I would have to always get my scallop fix at the restaurant, where I end up paying $20-30+ for a dish and run the risk of the scallops being - (gasp) - overcooked. Now I can make a dish that is equally as delicious, for at least half the price - and can enjoy a good bottle of wine on the side, saving big $$$ there as well.
Not only does Derek now eat scallops - he willingly chooses them as the protein for his cooking. Tonight's primary recipe has 0 influence from me. I simply made the side dish to accompany it.
Spicy Pan Seared Scallops
Ingredients
1/2 lb fresh sea scallops
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic paste
Salt to taste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
For Cilantro Chimmichuri
1 bunch chopped cilantro
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1 green chili
2 tbsp chopped red onions
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
salt to taste
Method
Prepare the chimmichuri first. In a food processor, place all the ingredients for the chimmichuri except for the oil and salt, and process till finely chopped. Add the oil and process until smooth. Season with salt. Transfer to a small bowl and keep covered in the refrigerator till ready to serve.
Rinse the scallops and pat dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, make criss-cross slits on top of the scallops. In a bowl, mix the spices, the garlic paste and salt. Roll the scallops in the spices to coat well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Heat a non-stick pan until very hot and pour the oil. When the oil gets really hot and begins to smoke, place the scallops in the pan flat side down.
Cook for 2 minutes per side, flipping once. Do not overcook the scallops, they will get rubbery. Remove the scallops from the pan, and save the left-over oil in the pan, this oil will be red in color from all the spices on the scallops.
To serve, spoon the chimmichuri in a plate, and place the scallops in the middle. Drizzle some spicy oil over the scallops.
Serve hot.
The scallops had the perfect level of spice to them. Derek thought that they could have used a little more, but he's also the one that loves to throw tabasco on everything. To me, scallops are so delicate in flavor that a little bit of spice or blod flavoring goes a long way. I equate scallops to a tender filet mignon, best dressed in salt and pepper so the true flavor of the meat can shine through.
I may have gone against my philosophy, however, when it came to the chimichurri sauce. If I had been in line with my - less is more - concept, I would have not have devoured as much of the delicious sauce as I did. It was delicious. I am a sucker for fresh herbs - especially cilantro, so it was an incredible addition to the meal.
I wanted to used eggplant in some form as the side dish to the meal. I thought that given the spiciness with the cayenne and the freshness with the cilantro and mint, an Indian-inspired side dish would go quite nicely. I decided it was time to try out an Indian classic - Baingan Bharta.
I only had one chinese eggplant so I had to make sure a little would go a long way. When I came across the following recipe, I thought it sounded authentic and substantive enough with the inclusion of tomatoes and pepper. Given that I only had one "small" eggplant - as in, not the large globe eggplant that the recipe likely called for - I did a half recipe.
Baingan Bharta
Ingredients:
1 eggplant (should be big and fat)
2 medium size tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/4 inch piece of ginger
3 tablespoons oil
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Method:
1. Cook the whole eggplant (put it on a microwave safe dish) in microwave for 8 to 10 minutes until it is tender. If you are using an oven, preheat the oven at 400 degrees F and bake it for about 45 minutes turning the sides every fifteen minutes. Be sure to first put the eggplant in an oven safe shallow bowl or a cookie sheet.
2. Let it cool and peel off the skin then chop the eggplant in small pieces and keep aside.
3. Blend the tomatoes, ginger and green chili.
4. Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high and stir fry the bell pepper for about a minute. Take out the bell pepper from pan and keep aside.
5. Use the same saucepan with remaining oil heat the oil little more. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away it is ready. Add asafetida and cumin seed.
6. After cumin seeds crack, add tomato puree, coriander powder, turmeric, red chili, and salt and let it cook for a few minutes until tomato puree has started leaving the oil.
7. Add eggplant let it cook on medium heat keep stirring the eggplant and mashing the eggplant as it cooks.
8. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes.
9. Add bell pepper, fresh cilantro, and garam masala to the eggplant and mix it gently.
I felt quite good when Derek said that the is something like they would serve at Kasa - the local Chipotle-esque Indian restaurant that, thankfully, serves some pretty good food! I didn't stray from the original recipe since it is Indian and I am still not 100% comfortable with playing around with the spices. Luckily, I was very pleased with this recipe and would use it again.
I am sure there was wine with the meal, though I cannot remember precisely which one we selected. In my opinion, it would pair well with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or a slightly richer Viogner.
Oh...and the other exciting component to this meal...I finally got a roti to puff up!!
Success!!
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