Tender and sweet, sea scallops adapt easily to a range of cooking methods and accompanying flavors. Whether you like them perfectly seared with just a spritz of lemon, or wrapped in bacon, or gently simmered in a creamy sauce, this week we want to know about your best scallop dish.
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This is a spring onion. If you can't find one, just use scallions. Any questions?
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A tangle of tarragon awaits its maker.
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Would you want to meet this character in a dark alley? We think not.
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It makes quick work of the poor tarragon.
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Amanda dices the bulb of the onion while Merrill chops the green stalks. Both will go into lastnightsdinner's sauce.
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The bulb bathes in butter, softening for 20 to 25 minutes.
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In go the greens, but only for a few minutes (you don't want them going gray on you).
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A bit of flour to thicken the sauce.
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Amanda can't resist a little sniff.
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This is basically a modified bechamel: you then add milk to the onions, butter and flour.
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Followed by that tarragon you saw a little earlier...
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Amanda bravely purées the hot, hot sauce -- make sure to use a tea towel and hold the lid on tightly if you don't have time to wait for the sauce to cool a little.
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Lastnightsdinner has you put the scallops in the fridge uncovered for 30 minutes before cooking them, which helps to dry them out in preparation for searing.
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Just a slick of grapeseed oil and a very hot pan are needed to keep them from sticking.
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Just to be safe, Merrill stares down her scallops, willing them not to stick.
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Mission accomplished!
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A spoonful of creme fraiche rounds out the sauce -- because, really, what could be better?
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Shallot, creme fraiche, caper berries, lemon, salt-packed capers, onion, Israeli couscous, parsley and scallop.
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Sarah Shatz, our photographer, calls these days with the three of us (Merrill, Amanda and Kristen) working away in the kitchen, our "Jane Austen" moments.
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Slice the lemons as thinly as possible.
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They should glow like an old window pane.
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Note Merrill's new shirt -- cool lace detailing, right?
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We chose to put the lemons on parchment for roasting because most of Amanda's pans would react with the citrus, and we didn't want that.
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Amanda dabs each lemon slice with a little olive oil -- they're also seasoned with salt and pepper.
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Love the cheerful packaging -- it seems to be saying: "Lucky you to be eating couscous!"
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These are salt-packed capers, which we used because that's what Amanda has. A friend brought her a pound of them from Sicily and you know what? It takes a long time to work your way through a pound of capers. Salt-packed capers are no different from those in brine, except that you have to rinse them well before using.
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Caper berries -- used to be fashionable and now they're surprisingly hard to find. Kristen tracked them down and had to pick them one by one out of an olive mix bin. People kept peering over her shoulder and saying, "Wow, you really like those things, don't you?"
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The food52 world headquarters.
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Merrill made the sauce, first softening shallots in butter, then adding white wine (well, Cava, because that's what we had).
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There it goes, bubbing away.
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Next in went some chicken broth and lemon juice and zest.
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And finally, the piece de resistance, creme fraiche.
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Mmm-mmm!
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Meanwhile, Amanda prepared the couscous by first softening onion in olive oil until it was nice and golden brown. Then like you do with risotto, we add the couscous and toast it.
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Pretty little couscous.
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Time for broth.
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And then roasted lemon slices -- melissav has you snip them with scissors. Brilliant!
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You bring this to a simmer and then cover it and cook it for 10 minutes.
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Finally, you blend in parsley and those mysterious caper berries.
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Time to saute the scallops.
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Merrill keeps a close eye over the scallops.
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And it pays off, they're perfectly cooked.
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