cause i'm a fatty

Scallops and Avocado Salad

I love scallops because they take minutes to cook, and all you have to remember is to not crowd them too much in a pan or they’ll steam. A cool salad with caramelized red onions onions, tomatoes, and cilantro made this a meal under 25 minutes. 

Something else to do with scallops-

At $14.99 a pound at Wholefoods, even frozen scallops don’t come cheap. You can make the most of a handful of scallops (6-8) by pan searing them and cutting them up into bite sized pieces. In this scenario I had some fresh rosemary, so I chopped it up and mixed in a little bit of basil and salt and pepper. The scallops were then turned into a type of bruschetta when matched with some toasted Italian bread drizzled with olive oil and garlic. I didn’t have any tomatoes around the house, but adding a fruit or vegetable to this would give you even more bang for your buck.

How to Perfectly Sear Scallops

One of the most delicious ways to enjoy scallops is also one of the simplest. Scallops are healthy and light, and go perfectly a top a salad or pasta. One of my favorite vinaigrettes consists of mixing lime juice with cilantro, chopped mangos and red bell peppers. The mango really brings out the sweetness of the scallops too. Most recently I’ve sauteed a few slices of bacon and then cooked some shallots and corn in the reserved grease. With the help of some chopped cilantro, the scallops and corn became fast friends. You can get as creative as you want with sauces or dressings, but the most integral part of this dish is the execution of the scallops, which is simple and very rewarding.

1. First wash your sea scallops and then dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, and some paprika if you’d like to give it a kick.

2. Heat up 1 tbs of unsalted butter (or extra virgin olive oil) in a non stick pan on high heat. If you want to get that pan seared look, you know, the golden-brown crust on each side of the scallop, you want the pan to (very, very) lightly start to smoke.

3. Place the scallops on the pan, leaving about 2 inches of space in-between each scallop (if they crowd they will end up steaming). Wait about 2 minutes to turn over the scallops, depending on their size. Let cook for another minute or so before plating. You want the scallops to be opaque and when pushed down with a fork the scallop should have a spring to it. Serve as soon as you think they are done, as it takes seconds to overcook a scallop and have it turn rubbery. Enjoy! Personally I like these all by themselves. Or sprinkled with some rosemary and served with garlic baguettes.