Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Sea scallops with caviar and green beans
Here is a recipe I created for serving scallops. A dear, dear friend of mine brought back some red caviar from a recent trip and asked me to make something with it. I often think in red, green, and white (the colors of the Italian flag), and came up with this:
Sea scallops with caviar and green beans (serves 2)
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 large sea scallops (never use frozen, they do not taste good)
1 jar red caviar
1/4 pound green beans
salt and pepper to taste for the green beans
4 or 5 red radicchio leaves, minced
zest of half an orange, minced
1 small clove of garlic, minced
balsamic vinegar for decoration
Prepare the green beans first. You don't have to do what I did, but it will look nicer if you do. I took each green bean; and with a very sharp knife, I split it into quarters. Time consuming, yes. But worth it. Or you can purchase French green beans if your greengrocer carries them.
Place the cut green beans in a saute pan with a tablespoon of the olive oil and let them cook until just tender, don't over do it. It takes about 3 minutes or so. Set aside.
Make a gremolata with the orange zest, garlic and radicchio. Set aside. (The classic gremolata is made with parsley, lemon and garlic, but the idea here is to invent!)
Wash and pat dry the scallops. Take a large saute pan big enough to hold the scallops without crowding (if the pan is too small, the scallops will steam instead of saute.) Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat until the oil slides around in the pan. Add the scallops and saute for 2 minutes or so, and then turn them over. They should take on a nice brown color. Cook until they are translucent. Don't over cook them! Depending on the size, the total time should be about 5 or 6 minutes.
Place six scallops on each of two warmed platters (see picture). Place a teaspoon or less of the caviar on top of the scallops. Place the cooked green beans in the center and sprinkle with the gremolata. Take the balsamic vinegar and drizzle it over the dish, as shown.
The combination of the sweet and salty works well with this. No need to salt the scallops, as the caviar is salty enough.
If you don't want to use caviar, try mincing a red pepper, sauteing it until just cooked, and top the scallops with that. Don't forget to salt the scallops and red peppers, since you will not be using caviar in this alternative method.
A nice Chenin Blanc works well with this, too.
Buon Appetito a tutti!
Isabella will be on a trip for a few days. I'll post another recipe next week.
Happy eating one and all!
Sea scallops with caviar and green beans (serves 2)
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 large sea scallops (never use frozen, they do not taste good)
1 jar red caviar
1/4 pound green beans
salt and pepper to taste for the green beans
4 or 5 red radicchio leaves, minced
zest of half an orange, minced
1 small clove of garlic, minced
balsamic vinegar for decoration
Prepare the green beans first. You don't have to do what I did, but it will look nicer if you do. I took each green bean; and with a very sharp knife, I split it into quarters. Time consuming, yes. But worth it. Or you can purchase French green beans if your greengrocer carries them.
Place the cut green beans in a saute pan with a tablespoon of the olive oil and let them cook until just tender, don't over do it. It takes about 3 minutes or so. Set aside.
Make a gremolata with the orange zest, garlic and radicchio. Set aside. (The classic gremolata is made with parsley, lemon and garlic, but the idea here is to invent!)
Wash and pat dry the scallops. Take a large saute pan big enough to hold the scallops without crowding (if the pan is too small, the scallops will steam instead of saute.) Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat until the oil slides around in the pan. Add the scallops and saute for 2 minutes or so, and then turn them over. They should take on a nice brown color. Cook until they are translucent. Don't over cook them! Depending on the size, the total time should be about 5 or 6 minutes.
Place six scallops on each of two warmed platters (see picture). Place a teaspoon or less of the caviar on top of the scallops. Place the cooked green beans in the center and sprinkle with the gremolata. Take the balsamic vinegar and drizzle it over the dish, as shown.
The combination of the sweet and salty works well with this. No need to salt the scallops, as the caviar is salty enough.
If you don't want to use caviar, try mincing a red pepper, sauteing it until just cooked, and top the scallops with that. Don't forget to salt the scallops and red peppers, since you will not be using caviar in this alternative method.
A nice Chenin Blanc works well with this, too.
Buon Appetito a tutti!
Isabella will be on a trip for a few days. I'll post another recipe next week.
Happy eating one and all!
