Scallops and Asparagus

What could be better than sauteed scallops and delicate spears of asparagus? The only thing we needed was a piece of crusty bread to sop up the extra sauce. Did I mention that I have high cholesterol and avoid cooking with butter? It's unnecessary in this dish, but if you want to add a little to the sauce to make it richer, go ahead.

2/3 lb dry (untreated) sea scallops, Jersey fresh

1/2 lb asparagus, preferably narrow spears

2 T olive oil

black pepper

Sauce

2 T orange juice (or juice of a whole blood orange and omit the lemon)

juice of 1/2 large lemon

1/4 c or more, white wine

dash salt

Heat two sauté pans (if possible, use cast iron for the scallops and keep it on high). While they are heating, snap the ends off the asparagus and break in half, dividing into two piles of ends and tips. Thoroughly rinse the scallops and dry on a paper towel (this dish works only for dry, untreated scallops; wet scallops give off too much water in the pan and won't caramelize). Grind fresh black pepper over the scallops.

Add olive oil to both pans and wait until it's very hot. You can add a little smashed garlic, but take it out after a minute so it doesn't burn. Add asparagus ends to one pan, shake/stir now and then.

Into heavier pan, place scallops pepper side down, leaving space around them, and grind more pepper on top. Turn them once, only after they have formed a golden crust.

Add tips to asparagus, squeeze a little lemon over them and a tiny bit of sugar and some salt. Stir occasionally. Test, and if done early, done turn heat way down and leave in pan to stay warm.

When scallops are golden on both sides, remove to plates and quickly add the sauce ingredients to the pan. It will bubble up. With a spatula, scrape the pan so little bits of scallop dissolve in the sauce. When it is reduced by at least half (a minute or two), pour over scallops.

J mentioned that we should have had something to sop up the extra sauce. A piece of bread, some couscous, or roasted or mashed potatoes would have been great.

Light summer dinner: Scallop ceviche

I cruised through the Reading Terminal Market today after a job interview and was inspired to buy some seafood for a light dinner. Last time I made ceviche (from fish) it didn't go over too well, so I thought I'd try scallops this time. But which ones? Tiny bay scallops were $7/lb, large "wet" sea scallops were $14 and "dry" sea scallops were $18! Normally I'd buy the large dry (untreated) scallops because they caramelize so beautifully when I saute them, but I was going to cut these up anyway and I didn't want to bust my budget. One of the fishmongers had two Latino employees, and I asked their advice, but neither had heard of using scallops and they didn't seem to have personal experience making ceviche. Still, I wanted to use scallops. They're fresh and most come in through Cape May, NJ, about 100 miles from here. So I cruised the cookbook stall (no help) and epicurious (much better), and came up with the recipe below. The ceviche can be eaten as is (from a nice glass) or try preparing them like this in light soft tacos:

Scallop Ceviche

1/2 lb bay scallops, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1/4 c lemon juice (one large one)

1/4 c orange juice

1/3 red onion, finely sliced

1/2 red sweet bell pepper

about 1 t cayenne pepper (I was too lazy to deal with a real jalapeño)

1 tsp salt

In a glass bowl, combine juices, pepper, cayenne, salt and onion. Add scallops, toss and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. These were pretty spicy after an hour.

Tacos

1/2 avocado, in 1/2 inch chunks

4 white corn tortillas (I'm partial to 12th Street Cantina - authentic without preservatives)

finely chopped romaine lettuce

kernels from 1 ear of corn, cooked (microwaved 3 mins.)

chopped cilantro

To make the tacos, brush olive oil on 350°F griddle and warm tortillas until golden on both sides. Off the griddle, fold each tortilla and stuff with a bit of lettuce, corn, avocado and drained scallops. Sprinkle with a little fresh cilantro.

These were great. We made 4 (two each), but we had enough scallops for at least 6. We ate them on the back porch and drank a bottle of Rogue Chipotle Ale, which was smoky and well-balanced. We recommend it with Mexican food, or maybe in the winter with split pea soup.