Friday Dinner

Bay Scallops with Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic & Lemon

We're nearing the end of the season for Nantucket Bay scallops.  Why not have an easy dinner tonight and served with a delicious tomato, garlic and lemon mixture?

Be your own sous chef

As always, be your own sous chef and have everything chopped and ready to go before you start cooking.  Slice some cherry tomatoes, smash some garlic and saute them in a separate small pan with extra virgin olive oil.  Stir often.  You can start these cooking before you start the scallops.  Cook the cherry tomatoes first.  Garlic can burn very quickly so wait until the tomatoes are well underway before adding the garlic. Eyeball them - once they're cooked after about 5 minutes turn heat down low to keep them warm while the scallops finish cooking.

Hello, gorgeous!

Meanwhile, take your bay scallops and dry them with paper towels.  Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Add extra virgin olive oil and a pad of butter.  Lightly fry the scallops and as they start to brown toss in some more chopped garlic.  They should cook in 2 - 4 minutes.  When you get to minute 3, add champagne vinegar.  They make the scallops taste more like scallops!   Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the scallops just as they're about to finish cooking.  Step back!  The lemon juice and the champagne vinegar will cause the pan to sizzle. 

Place the tomatoes on your plate

Add the scallops

Et viola!

Just because you're exhausted after a busy week doesn't mean you can't have an elegant yet easy to cook dinner.  Take advantage of these lovely morsels before they go out of season.

Ingredients

1/2 lb scallops per person - dry with paper towels before cooking

2 - 3 cloves of garlic per person

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped per person

Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 tbspns extra virgin olive oil

1 tbspn champagne vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Pre-heat skillet over medium heat

Add 1 tbspn oil, swirl around

When pan is hot add tomatoes

Let cook about 3 - 5 minutes

Add garlic

Salt & pepper to taste

Keep tomato mixture in pan over low heat to keep them warm while the scallops cook

In a separate skillet:

Pre-heat skillet over medium heat

Add remaining oil and pad of butter, swirl around

Add scallops and salt and pepper to taste

Let the scallops cook on one side for 1 - 2 minutes, until they brown

Add vinegar and lemon juice

Flip scallops and cook for another minute or 2 until they brown

Plate the tomatoes and garlic

Arrange scallops on top

Squeeze more lemon juice over scallops

Serve and enjoy!