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.

Chile Lime Shrimp →

Chile Lime Shrimp… This dish is inspired by traditional Peruvian Chile Lime Shrimp. Less well known in the U.S. than Mexican and Caribbean cuisines, but with its own sophisticated gastronomy and more than its share of world-class chefs, Peruvian cuisine (comida criolla) is a rich mixture of indigenous Andean, African, Asian, and Spanish/European culinary traditions that reflect the history and diverse ethnic composition of the Peruvian population. Serve this dish with a refreshing, colorful Mango Avocado Salad for a light meal that will engage all five taste senses. Alternatively, gift your guests a taste of Peru and serve a plate of these shrimp with lime wedges as hors-d’oeuvres. I hope this simple sample of comida criolla entices you to explore Peruvian cuisine the way it has me. Buen provecho!

Chile Lime Shrimp
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined (I use 16-20 count large shrimp)

• ½ cup lime juice

• Zest of 1 lime finely grated

• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon chile powder

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 Makrut lime leaves, center spine removed, very thinly sliced (optional)

• 4 teaspoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons finely minced or grated ginger root

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro

• kick it up a notch with a few drops of your favorite hot sauce

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, chile powder, cumin, cilantro, soy sauce, paprika, and ginger. Add the shrimp to the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until pink and opaque. Alternatively, my preferred method is to grill the shrimp over direct heat for 1-2 minutes per side depending on the size of your shrimp. Remove from the heat and garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Wine pairing: a dry Riesling, a demi-sec Vouvray, or a Viognier will compliment this spicy dish.

Blackened Scallops with Cilantro Lime Sauce →

Super easy to make, this dish is adapted from a recipe by Marcela Vallodolid featured in Food and Wine Magazine in 2014. I kick it up a notch by blackening the scallops and serving the spicy scallops atop the fresh, tangy cilantro and lime sauce. A garnish of a simple avocado and tomato relish, or sweet Peppadew pepper provides color to your presentation and complementary flavors to the dish. Enjoy!

Blackened Scallops with Cilantro Sauce
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
·   12 large sea scallops
·   Blackening spice  
·   Sea salt
·   Black pepper
·   4 tablespoons butter
·   1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
·   1/4 cup chopped cilantro
·   2 garlic cloves, minced
·   2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
·   1 1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
·   1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
·   Avocado-tomato relish- *Optional see below 

Preparation:
Preheat your cast iron skillet(s) over high heat (use your grill to avoid filling your house with smoke when blackening the scallops)

1.  Add the olive oil and cilantro along with the garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper to a blender (or Magic Bullet) and process until smooth.
2. Melt the butter and dip each scallop in the butter first then into the blackening spice.
3.  Lightly oil the very hot skillet and gently place 6 scallops on the skillet. Don’t move the scallops for two minutes, then gently turn over each scallop for another 2 minutes. Repeat with the other 6 scallops if you don’t have two skillets to work with.
4.  Sauce 4 plates and place three scallops atop along with your garnish of choice. 

*Optional: serve the scallops alongside a tablespoon of chopped avocado and tomato relish dressed with a squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Note: If you don’t want to blacken the scallops, toss the scallops in the sauce and sear them on a hot cast-iron skillet for two minutes per side basting with a drizzle of the sauce.

Adapted from: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cilantro-scallops