Tastes Like Spring

Last Monday, I cooked dinner for some friends of mine. It’s been a while since I’ve seen these beautiful ladies, so I was happy enough just to be there; let alone working on something new. Sitting on the train, I thought to myself (and sent the subsequent text message), “I feel like scallops.” The responses told me that scallops were the way to go, and every guy out there knows better than to promise a woman, let alone two, scallops and show up with krill. So as my train hurtled towards Union Square, I racked my brain as to what I was going to pair my scallops with. I still had no idea what I was going to do about a main course, but it was going to seven, I had two hungry ladies waiting and hadn’t even looked at a scallop.
The day was warm and I was thinking about Spring…and I was also thinking about a dish I’d had with a grilled quail served over a crunchy salad. My only lament was that seeing as it was quail and I had to lift out the tiny bones during my meal. I wondered if I could recreate the same dish, but with seafood and a nice contrast between the tart crunch of the salad and the sweet softness of the scallops. I got to Whole Foods and checked out the scallop situation. They didn’t have any Diver Scallops, but had some nice Bay Scallops that even though they looked a little small for my liking, still looked fresh. I had a lot of fun while I pointed at individual mollusks for the fishmonger to pick out for me. At one point, I turned around to look at the two people waiting on line behind me; they both had the same look on their face: “who is this asshole with the knives on his back?” I finished up, got the rest of my things (I decided on Carbonara as our main course, by the way) and went to make dinner. I made the scallops, I put them in front of my two lady-friends and waited. They both dug in, and declared it delicious, and then one of them took another bite, closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair; she paused and then she said, “mmm, tastes like Spring.”

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops, with a Bitter Orange Sauce served over a salad of Cucumber, Red Onion, Fennel & Crispy Potatoes

12 Diver Scallops
1 Medium Cucumber
1 Medium Red Onion
1 Bulb Fennel, fronds reserved
2 Medium Red Bliss Potatoes
4 oz. Wheatberry
4 oz. Barley
1 oz. White Wine
4 oz. Orange Juice
4 oz. Butter
Red Wine Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Sugar, to taste

Small dice cucumber, red onion, fennel and combine with the wheatberry and barley to form the salad. Scrub potatoes and cut them into medium dice. Par boil potatoes, drain and dry them on a sheet tray. Pour two ounces of oil in a sauté pan and cook potatoes over medium-high heat until golden brown, reserve separate from salad.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a clean sauté pan. Season scallops with salt and pepper and place in hot pan. Sear scallops on both sides until golden brown, then place pan in oven and roast scallops for approximately seven minutes, or until cooked through. Remove scallops from pan and allow to rest on a plate. Deglaze pan with white wine, then pour in orange juice. Season with salt and sugar and allow to reduce until just before nappe.
While sauce reduces, season salad with salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil to taste; salad should be sweet and tart. Spoon salad into a small bowl and scatter potatoes around outer rim. Place scallops on top of salad and spoon sauce over them. Garnish with a fennel frond and serve.
Serves four.