Friday, June 17, 2011

Grilled Scallops with Shallot Wine Sauce

Sometimes meals exist that are so simple that I feel almost guilty posting 'recipes' for them. OK-- most meals fit this criteria for me. Usually my cooking involves a skillet, a bit of fat, sauteeing onion and garlic, adding protein, and placing on a salad of some kind. If I'm not eating that way, I'm simpling mincing things and assembling them in bowls.*

So, this is one of those, but the flavors and temperatures and textures all spun together so lightly and perfectly that I thought I'd share, so that perhaps those out there who are currently honing their culinary intuition may dance with them as well. Oh! Ok, I've over-romanced my food here. Don't I have the right to do this?!


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This is a perfect example of quality ingredients holding up an entire meal. I recently procured some wild-caught scallops during a One-Day-Sale of $9.99/lb. I am a being who loves her some seafood. This sale excited me greatly and I brought home the pillowy little nuggets. I thought of using half of them for one thing and the part for ceviche (insert dreamy sigh here) but I decided for a very simple approach to cooking them all at once.

Simple: In a dish you can put on the grill (skillet/aluminum dish, etc...) marinate** scallops in melted butter, sea-salt, shallot, thyme, and white pepper. I added a sprinkling of citrus peel. There may have been some other things? Let it sit for a few hours.

Skewer this. Set aside the pan containing the marinade/hardened butter and such. Mince up some garlic and grab a few more herbs. You can either grill the scallops or 'roast' them on the grill, which I did by jerry-rigging up a little 'rotisserie' skewer balanced on two rack-supports. Um, just grill them.


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While they're grilling, set the marinating pan on the grill and let it begin to bubble and pop. Deglaze with a little red wine and scrape and stir until reduced. Good job! That is your sauce. Serve on scallops atop a mixed green salad.

Pau!

*May I come clean about something pertaining to bowl-meals? Really? Oh, I will in another post.
**Grammar point: Marinade is a noun. Marinate is a verb. Got it? Comprende? 了解? Capiche? Maopopo?

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