Last night I had the pleasure of creating my first meal to write about on the blog. Seared Sea Scallops with Spinach, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Shallots.
Recipe:
Yield: 2 servings
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 10-12 min
Ingredients: 2-4 Jumbo Scallops
5 Ounces Fresh Baby Spinach (about half a package)
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pad of butter.
1 Small Shallot Diced
6 Shiitake Mushrooms Sliced ( Discard the stem it is tough stuff)
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Directions
1. Prepare the Scallops. Scallops have a little side muscle still attached when you purchase them. Remove the muscle, rinse the scallops, and pat them dry with a paper towel. Season the scallops with Salt and Pepper. Set aside
2. Preheat a small saute pan over medium heat. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan. When the oil shimmers add the sliced mushrooms and shallot; stir as needed. Next add the spinach. Add it in batches if needed. The spinach is mostly water and will shrink considerably. Reduce heat to low to keep warm until scallops are completed.
3. Heat butter and extra virgin olive oil in a medium saute pan over high heat. The butter will raise the smoke point of the oil allowing the fat to reach the high heat needed to get the beautiful crust.
4. Once the butter and oil starts to lightly smoke add the scallops. I like to place each one individually to insure they are properly placed in the pan. Sear the scallops for 1 1/2 min. on each side.
5. When the scallops are done they should have a nice golden crust on the the top and bottom and remain translucent in the middle.
7. Place the spinach, mushroom, and shallots on the plate first as a bed for the scallop. Then place one jumbo scallop on top. Drizzle with olive oil if you like. Serve with couscous or quinoa.
Summary
This was a simple and fast meal. Click on the picture to see a large view.
You may say Seared Scallops does not sound like a meal for a frugal law student but it is. The protein of the meal is always going to be the most expensive part. By purchasing only two jumbo scallops and making sure I had plenty of spinach and other vegetables to fill up on I saved money. If you focus on the vegetables and grains in the meal your wallet will thank you. However, that does not mean pair the scallops with easymac. Purchase a box of couscous. Near East offers some wonderful flavors and it only takes 5 min. to cook.
All the recipes on the blog are original and not taken from a cookbook.
