Friday, June 20, 2014

Amazing Scallops!

Missy, here. First, a photo from my son's recent trip to the Grand Canyon. Gorgeous! I haven't been there yet and hope to someday.


Now, the food…

Scallops! I had them several times while we were at the beach earlier this month. So when I saw this amazing scallop recipe in the email newsletter I get from Bon Appetit Magazine, I got a craving. I found these gorgeous babies at the grocery and paid a small fortune for them.




The original recipe is HERE (click for link).

Here's my version using ingredients on hand…


Scallops with Roasted Hazelnuts and Grape Tomatoes
Missy Tippens
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine's Website

1/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
3 TBS olive oil, divided
1-1/2 pounds large sea scallops, side muscle removed, patted dry
1 pint sun gold tomatoes (I actually used about 1/2 pint of grape tomatoes)
1 small shallot chopped finely
1 TBS white wine vinegar (I used white wine instead)
1 TBS parsley (recipe calls for fresh tarragon, but I was going by memory and accidentally bought thyme! So I used dried parsley)

And now, before telling you how to make it, I have to tell you a funny story so you (mainly Ruthy) will laugh at me.

I couldn't find raw hazelnuts at the grocery store. So I did the next best thing. I bought a bag of mixed nuts in the produce section and planned to separate out the hazelnuts.

This is how many I found in the bag!! LOL



Well, not quite 1/4 cup, but it had to do. :)



First, check out my new Lodge skillet! I got it for a steal at a discount store. I heated some of the olive oil while I chopped the 9 whole hazelnuts. hahaha


  • Oh, and don't forget to preheat the oven to 350°.




    Toast hazelnuts, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 8–10 minutes. Toss with 1 TBSP oil and season with salt and pepper. Set them aside.

    Chop the shallot.
  • Then heat remaining 2 TBSP oil in a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the towel dried (so that you'll get good caramelization) scallops with salt and pepper. Cook until golden brown. They should be cooked just through, about 3 minutes per side. Set them aside.



  • If you have much liquid left in the skillet (I didn't), pour off most of it. Add the tomatoes and shallot. Season with salt and pepper and stir, cooking until some tomatoes burst. The recipe says it takes bout 4 minutes, but it took me longer. I had to help burst the tomatoes. :) Next, mix in vinegar or wine.




    Add the scallops back in just to warm them (if they cooled), but don't let them over cook! Top with whatever herb you're using as well as the hazelnuts.

    Delicious!! And though not as nice as eating scallops at the beach, making them at home will do in a pinch. :)

    Here's a gratuitous beach photo for you. A beautiful sunset from our balcony at Orange Beach, Alabama. This is one of my favorite places in the world!



14 comments:

  1. I'm trying to remember if I ever had scallops - think I tried fixing them once but wasn't too impressed...at red lobster or joe's crab shack I generally stick with shrimp or chicken (I'm partial to the parrot bay coconut shrimp..sigh...love that stuff and I know it' ain't healthy!

    did you eat anything with these?

    susanna

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    1. Susanna, I also made asparagus. It was something new. Frozen Szechuan asparagus that was steam-in-the-bag.

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  2. Oh, yummy! I love scallops but I know you can NOT walk away or you get little chewy burned erasers.
    And love the beach photo. I always wonder what my kids would think if they saw a beach like that in real life. Our coast is very rocky, with tide pools and lots of shells. Oh, and wind and rain. :)

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    1. LOL I'd probably get chewy burned erasers! I can never tell when stuff is done without butchering it
      susanna

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    2. Virginia, I did stay RIGHT THERE, and set the timer. I also kept touching them to make sure they didn't feel rubbery. :)

      I kept thinking of Gordon Ramsey yelling at contestants on Hell's Kitchen for overcooking the scallops! LOL

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  3. I happen to love scallops. I am in a cooking rut and totally forgot about them. Thank you for the reminder.

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    1. Tina, I rarely think of them either. They're really nice, though, because they're so quick to make.

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  4. swing by and pick me up if you go to the grand canyon! I've never been either
    Susanna

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    1. We should plan a trip, Susanna! I'd love to go.

      My son and his girlfriend were on their way to California (she's attending summer school at UCLA). They took 4 days to make the trip so they could do some sightseeing.

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  5. I love scallops. Missy, I've never tried them like this, and I'm laughing at the tarragon, but not at the hazelnut thing.... and here's the thing, if you're going to cook them anyway, regular hazelnuts roasted would have worked. You're just "double" roasting them, so no biggie (in my humble Ruthy opinion!!!!) And they're pricey little buggers which makes me wonder how Nutella can be sold as cheaply as they do?????

    I must try this. I think I have to change up the tomatoes because Dave's not a cooked tomato lover, so what would work well? What's in Jambalaya? Corn? Squash? Maybe a winter squash, roasted????? Something slightly sweet because scallops are a sweet seafood. I bet the winter squash would work. If anybody's got ideas, yes.... share them!

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    1. I think you should stick with the bacon version he loves! at least I think you were the one who did the bacon wrapped ones right? someone somewhere had bacon wrapped around something...been a long night
      Susanna

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    2. Ruthy, I would have done that if I could have found hazelnuts at all! They only came in mixed nuts.

      I think squash would be good but it might make too much liquid. Maybe roast it in the oven while toasting the hazelnuts?? Hey! Maybe try using some of your asparagus!

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  6. You opened with the Grand Canyon and closed with a picture of the beach -- you must be getting into holiday mode! I'd love to see the Grand Canyon too. How can anyone deny God's existence when they see all that awesomeness? Nothing random about this world at all!!!!!

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    1. You're right, Kav!

      But I have to say my son took about a year off my life when he showed me pictures of him sitting on two ledges with major drop-offs. One ledge look as if there was a huge crack behind him and that the piece of rock could just drop off.

      Oh my word. I couldn't even look at that photo without feeling sick! Just give me the far away panoramic view I shared above any day!

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