Spicy Scallops with Apple-Pear Relish →

This dish combines spicy tender scallops with a fresh tangy relish made from pickled green apple and Asian pear and is an excellent starter to stimulate your taste buds before any rich meal. You can pickle the fruit ahead, or allow an hour for cooling the pickled fruit before assembling the relish; allow an hour to marinate the scallops. Once prepped, the dish comes together as a first course in a few minutes. Enjoy!

Spicy Scallops with Apple-Pear Relish
Serves 4 as an appetizer

INGREDIENTS
For the pickled apple/pear:

• 1 green apple cored, peeled, and sliced ¼ inch

• 1 Asian pear cored, peeled, and sliced ¼ inch

• ½ cup rice wine vinegar

• 1 cup water

• ½ cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pickling spice from the market

• 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger

• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

• a few red pepper flakes (optional)

Add all the ingredients except the apple and pear to a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add the apple and pear slices and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool for at least an hour.

For the scallops:

• 1 tablespoon Cajun Spice Mix or store-bought cajun spice mix.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (or lemon juice)

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

• ½ tablespoon honey

• ½ tablespoon soy sauce

• 6-8 ounces of Bay Scallops, or Sea Scallops (Note: if using Sea Scallops remove the tough muscle and quarter the scallops)

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl; add the scallops and mix to coat. Marinate for an hour.

PREPARATION
Assemble the relish:
1 cup of coarsely chopped pickled apple/pear
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
½ cup Craisins
¼ cup cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 teaspoons minced red jalapeño chile pepper (optional to taste)
1 teaspoon lime (or lemon) zest

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and chill for at least an hour for the flavors to meld.
(Note: any left-over apple or pear slices can be stored in a covered glass container with the pickling brine in the fridge for up to a week.)

Cook the scallops:
Broil or pan-sear the scallops on a pre-heated, hot skillet for 2-3 minutes. (If you over-cook they will be tough) Allow them to cool for a few minutes before combining with the apple/pear relish.

Assemble the dish:
Mix the cooked scallops and apple/pear relish and serve plated on a leaf of lettuce.

Wine pairing: viognier, chenin blanc, dry riesling, fume blanc,

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail →

When I lived in Mexico, I fell in love with the various regional versions of shrimp cocktails, especially from the Yucatán and Oaxaca in the south. So much so that I still prefer homemade “Mexican style” cocktail sauce to the bottled stuff available at your local market. If you would like to try an alternative to the typical ketchuppy shrimp cocktail served here in the States, give this version a try. I simplified the original recipe from the New York Times to make it more accessible without sacrificing the wonderful tangy complexity of the sauce. Buen apetito!

Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
Serves 6 as a starter, or 4 as a light meal with a green salad.

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 2 tablespoons green olives, chopped

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1/4 cup chili sauce

• 2 teaspoons fresh oregano (or ¾ teaspoon dried)

• 2 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped

• 1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped (more if you want more heat)

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

• 1/2 cup Clamato juice (or ¼ cup clam juice; ¼ cup bottled tomato juice)

• ½ an eight-inch Anaheim chile roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped; half reserved (see *Note)

Ingredients for the pico de gallo:

• 1 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced

• 1/2 cup white onion, diced

• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

• 2 teaspoons minced jalapeño

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for the seafood:

• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

• 1/2 reserved Anaheim chile, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced

• 1 pound large shrimp (16-20 count) peeled, deveined, and boiled for two minutes, drained and plunged into cold water; 3 per person as an appetizer, or 5 for a light meal. Substitute medium shrimp if you prefer.

Preparation:
1. Purée the sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a medium bowl.
2. Add the pico de gallo ingredients to the sauce.
3. Delicately fold in the avocado and shrimp. Spoon into ice cream-sundae or martini glasses and serve with warm tortilla chips.
4. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

*Note: place the chile under the broiler until charred (2-3 minutes per side). Put the chile on a plate and cover with another plate. Wait 5 minutes, uncover and the skin should peel off easily. Slice the chile lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.

*Note: for a great light summer meal, serve with a mixed green salad with a bit of crumbled goat cheese or Mexican cotija dressed with a light vinaigrette alongside the cocktail.

Wine pair: my first choices would be a Rosé, Chablis, or a Chardonnay/Viognier blend that would stand up to and complement the complex acid and spice in the cocktail. Stay away from heavy oaky Chardonnays or overly minerally whites.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/campechana-extra-mexican-seafood-cocktail
Adapted from Levi Goode at Goode Company Seafood in Houston.

Cantaloupe Olive and Cucumber Salad →

Who doesn’t love sweet juicy summer melon? Colorful and super easy, this starter was inspired by an article by Anna Stockwell for Epicurious in 2018 where she lays down the magical interplay of salty, sour, sweet, savory, and umami with melon. Meaty, pimento stuffed Spanish olives, juicy sweet cantaloupe, crunchy cucumber, and basil dressed with a splash of lime juice and olive oil over a slice of Serrano Ham or Prosciutto with balsamic reduction. Solid alchemical, gastronomic gold!

Yield: 4 first course starters
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of ripe cantaloupe (cut in ½ inch cube)

• ½ cup cucumber peeled and seeded (chopped smaller than the cucumber)

• ¼ cup of coarsely chopped green Spanish olives stuffed with pimentos (more if you love olives!)

• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion (optional)

• 1 tablespoon lime juice or white Balsamic vinegar

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 4 thin slices of prosciutto or Serrano ham

• 4 teaspoons of balsamic reduction (optional; see *note)

• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

1. Combine the first five ingredients.

2. Whisk together the lime juice and olive oil; drizzle over the salad and mix well.

3. Lay the prosciutto on salad plates and top with the salad mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4. Either drizzle a teaspoon of balsamic reduction over the salad or on the plate along side the salad.

(*Note: Balsamic reduction is a great addition to your kitchen. Start with 2/3 of a cup of balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a hot simmer until the vinegar has reduced by 1/3-1/2. It will be syrupy and coat the back of a spoon. Sweeter and more complex than plain balsamic vinegar you can use it on salads, meats, or many fruits. It will keep in a closed glass container on your counter for up to a week, or indefinitely in the refrigerator.)