Vivo O Sonho

This is a flavorful meal that presents beautifully in minutes. I’ll eat any seafood but hubby is a bit pickier, especially when it comes to shellfish. We both love scallops as they don’t have a strong “fishy” taste and do have a “meaty” texture.

The trick to scallops is twofold: they need to be fresh and not overcooked. If they have a fishy smell or are slimy, don’t use them. The ones I bought were out of the shell and cleaned, fresh (not frozen) vacuum-packed wild products of the United States. If you buy frozen and defrost, they may have a mealy texture.

When you cook, watch them closely and only cook until opaque on both sides. Take one out and cut in half to test for doneness. We personally like ours a tad on the undercooked side so ours are done when still just a bit transparent and shiny in the very middle. If you aren’t a fan of almost-sushi, cook until firm but not hard and fully white in the middle.

You’ll find seafood generally plentifully in stock at our local Grocery Outlet. But because their inventory does flux based on availability, you might not always find these amazing scallops. I often use the salad kits and top with grilled or poached shrimp or fish, which can be found in both the fresh and frozen sections.

Variations: You can, of course, use any kind of lettuce and salad fixings you like. I picked up one of those easy-peasy chopped salad kits that is always available at Grocery Outlet. This one was the Greek blend and the flavors lent itself beautifully to the subtle saltiness of the scallops.

Ingredients

• Greek salad kit package
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3/4 lb large sea scallops
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

• Toss salad and mozzarella cheese and portion onto plates.
• Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high until just melted.
• Stir in minced garlic (I keep a jar of minced garlic in water in the fridge for these quick meals). Cook for about 30 seconds until just fragrant.
• Add scallops and lemon juice and cook on one side for approximately 3 minutes, until they begin to turn opaque. Don’t move them around but do spoon the butter-garlic mixture on top. Check one to see if they are slightly browning on the bottom.
• When all are slightly browned, flip, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook other side for another 3 minutes or until scallops are firm but not hard.
• Arrange scallops on top of salad.
• Add cherry tomatoes and cook just until they begin to soften. Spoon onto salad.
• Drizzle butter-garlic mixture over scallops.

Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a first course or side dish.

Go To Tuesdays are recipes from products available at the Alameda Grocery Outlet, 730 Buena Vista Ave.

Please let me know if you made the recipe and liked it or would suggest changes. And also feel free to suggest future recipes.