Sunday, September 8, 2013

Mollusk Mania!

I love checking out the local seafood markets in Santa Barbara and this weekend was no exception! (Especially since I had a 30% discount to use ;)) This market had a larger variety of fish than other markets, but I was in the mood for scallops. They had beautiful diver scallops and I grabbed 1.5lbs which came out to be 13 pieces. 

13 big scallops!

Look how thick that is!

The weather has been a bit hotter and I wanted to make a lighter meal, so I paired the scallops with a fresh mango, tomato, and corn salsa (I plucked the kernals off the cob myself), and brown rice.

The first thing I did was wash the scallops and hand dried every single piece of them to get rid of the excess water. I heated up some olive oil in my Le Creuset nonstick pan, placed the scallops in the pan and left them untouched for 90 seconds to let them create a golden brown crust. I was actually a bit scared to make scallops because if you don't pay attention to them for a few seconds and they overcook, they're done. Rubbery scallops suck. And these were larger and thicker which only increased my anxiety. 

The quality isn't that great, but it shows what I'm doing.

I feel bad for the scallop to the left...someone mishandled him and it wasn't me. But a great crust is forming! It smelled so good in my kitchen!!

To pair with the scallops, I made a simple mango, roma tomato, and corn salsa seasoned with fresh lemon and lime juice, green onions, ground black pepper, garlic powder, parsley, and red chili flakes. 

I've been trying to make my plates look nicer and I thought the plating of the scallops is one of my best yet! 

The finished product! 

To show the thickness of the scallops

If I do say so myself, the crust I created is amazing. I'm proud!!

SUCCESS! Not overcooked, perfectly cooked scallops.

I did not use any salt in this dish because I don't like cooking with salt and because this dish didn't require it! The scallops had a naturally sweet and briny taste to it that was enough for the entire dish. The salsa paired well with the sweetness of the scallops because of the acid I put into it. The brown rice made the meal a little heartier. I like the contrast between hot and cold and the cold salsa paired well with the hot scallops. For my first time, I'd honestly give myself an A for not making rubbery scallops and I really like the plating! I can't wait to make more!!

Until Next Time!
CheFelicia





1 comment:

  1. I'm so jealous you get all that fresh seafood in your neighborhood at such awesome prices! My scallops never taste as good..

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