Simple Soy and Ginger Grilled Scallops

Simple Soy and Ginger Grilled Scallops

Scallops are my favorite seafood. Period. I've often had them at their very freshest and best, only hours after being plucked from the ocean floor. I love them prepared in practically any way, from tempura battered to practically raw in a lime ceviche. During the summer months I also love them simply marinated in any number of ways and then lightly grilled.

This recipe is particularly tasty and very simple to prepare. It makes a perfect appetizer course for a barbeque dinner party or served on a salad for a light lunch or dinner meal. If you like you can make double the marinade and with one half, add some rice wine vinegar to make a terrific salad dressing too.

1 1/2 pounds scallops

2 small sweet bell peppers, any color or mix them up

For the marinade mix, together:

1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tbsp peanut oil

few drops toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger root

1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

1 clove finely minced garlic

pinch salt

pinch black pepper

Marinate the scallops in the marinade for no longer than 20 minutes; longer than this can allow the citric acid in the lemon juice to break down the surface of the scallops  and dry them out when cooked. While the scallops are marinating you can also soak 3 or 4 bamboo skewers in water to prepare them for the grill.

Push the scallops onto the pre-soaked bamboo skewers. If you like, you can alternate the scallops with pieces of sweet bell peppers and/or red onions.

Place the scallop skewers onto a preheated grill on medium heat and grill for only 2 to 3 minutes per side depending on the size of scallops that you are using. 

Seafood Lasagna with Roasted Fennel Tomato Sauce

 

I've tried quite a few seafood lasagnas in restaurants over the years but it is difficult to find one where the seafood is not overcooked because of the cooking method. Some others have had quite heavy sauces with far too much garlic or herbs which overpower the delicate taste of the seafood. When adding herbs, I usually do it at the last minute so as not to over-saturate the flavor of the sauce. Truthfully, the mellow anise-like flavor of the roasted fennel is enough in this sauce and you can leave out the herbs if you like.

In this recipe the sweet, rich flavor and perfectly cooked texture of the seafood is what is important. Get all the individual elements right and this is simply the perfect seafood lasagna.

 

Serves 4-6

Roasted Fennel Tomato Sauce

1 to 2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes diced
1/2 large fennel bulb diced
1/2 medium red onion diced
2 cloves chopped garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed chillies (optional)
Salt and pepper to season

Toss all ingredients together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F. Cook for about 50 -60 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the fennel pieces are very soft and most of the liquid has cooked off and the sauce reaches a good chunky consistency. Puree the sauce in a blender or food processor and transfer to a saucepan.

Add:

2 1/2 cups plain tomato sauce

2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon or dill (optional)

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Pasta

4- 6 sheets fresh lasagna pasta, cooked

You can use store bought fresh pasta or make your own fresh pasta.
Find a good basic fresh pasta recipe (along with a great recipe for Parmesan Chicken Lasagna) here:
http://www.rockrecipes.blogspot.com/2007/11/parmesan-chicken-lasagne.html

Cut the cooked pasta into about 3x4 inch rectangles. You will need 4 rectangles per serving.

Seafood

Use whatever combination of seafood that you like or is in season. Practically any seafood works in this recipe. In this version, to make about 6 servings I've used:

1 pound cooked lobster, sliced or chunked

1 pound large scallops
1 pound shelled, de-veined  shrimp

I steamed a 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobster for about 15 minutes, let it cool slightly, then removed the meat carefully from the shell and cut it into slices or chunks.

The scallops are lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and pan seared in a hot cast iron pan for just a couple of minutes per side.

I sauteed the shrimp quickly  for only a few minutes with a half clove of minced garlic and a couple of tablespoons of  salted butter.

To construct the lasagna, spoon some sauce onto the individual serving plates and lay down the first layer of pasta. Add a layer of scallops, cover with sauce and add another layer of pasta. Next add a layer of shrimp, more sauce and another layer of pasta. Finally add a layer of pasta, more sauce and the final layer of pasta.

Spoon a little more sauce over the lasagna and top with a 1/4 inch thick slice or two of fresh mozzarella. Melt cheese under the broiler for just a minute or so and serve.

Sundried Tomato and Seafood Linguine

Sundried Tomato and Seafood Linguine

For the other three recipe ideas for a romantic dinner for two click here.

Treat your sweetheart to this delicious seafood dinner. This easy to prepare pasta dish is very fast to cook as well and can easily be ready in about 20 minutes. That makes it a great choice for a dinner party or even a dinner for two where kitchen time is kept to a minimum.

Serves 4

• 1 pound package fresh linguine, cooked
• 2 dozen shrimp
• 2 dozen scallops
• 1 cup diced red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped, oil packed, sun dried tomatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Season the shrimp and scallops with salt and pepper and quickly saute them for a few minutes until almost completely cooked. Remove the seafood from the pan and set aside while you prepare the sauce.

Add to the pan:

• 2 cloves minced garlic Saute for only about 30 seconds to soften the garlic then add
• 4 oz white wine

Simmer until volume is reduced by half. Then add:

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon (or a fresh herb of your choice, basil, dill, or oregano are all good choices)
• Salt and pepper to season

Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a metal spoon. Return seafood to to the sauce, add the red pepper and  chopped sundried tomato and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Serve over cooked linguine. Sprinkle with chopped crisp cooked bacon when serving (optional).

Sundried Tomato and Seafood Linguine

Scallop Bacon and Ricotta Cannelloni with Roasted Tomato Fennel Sauce

This definitely is my very favorite pasta dish! It combines so many of my favorite flavours and ingredients. Scallops are my favorite seafood and this roasted fennel and tomato sauce is a perfect accompaniment to the scallop, ricotta and bacon flavours. This is a great recipe for any special occasion dinner. I sometimes prepare the filling and sauce the day before and can then assemble the cannelloni quite quickly for a workday dinner. Absolutely delicious!

Serves 4
8 large ripe tomatoes diced
1 large fennel bulb diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp brown sugar
Salt and pepper to season
2 tbsp basil

Toss all ingredients together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 375 degrees F until the fennel pieces are very soft and most of the liquid has cooked off. Puree in a food processor or blender and set the sauce aside.

1 package fresh lasagna pasta sheets, cut in half to make 12 cannelloni rollers

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet
Add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook for one minute
Toss in
1 to 1 ½ pound small scallops

Sauté the scallops in the garlic butter over high heat for only a couple of minutes and remove from the heat and let cool to almost room temperature.

Mix together:

1 sixteen ounce tub ricotta cheese
6 slices bacon, cut in small pieces and cooked crisp
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Add the sautéed scallops and stir well. Spoon a couple of heaping tablespoons of the filling onto each half sheet of pasta roll into a cylinder.

Spoon about 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and lay the cannelloni in a single layer on top of the sauce. Cover with the remaining sauce and bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Manhattan Style Roasted Vegetable Chorizo & Seafood Chowder

Manhattan Style Roasted Vegetable Chorizo & Seafood  Chowder

This outstanding seafood chowder is a real indulgent, celebration meal. I like to serve it with some freshly baked Cheese and Herb Scones.

Serves 6 -8

Start by roasting the vegetables.

Chop into bite sized pieces:

½ fennel bulb
1 medium red onion
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 red pepper
2 stalks celery

Toss the vegetables in 3 tbsp olive oil, season in salt and pepper and bake in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees F or until the vegetables are slightly browned and fork tender. Turn the vegetables once during cooking.

In a sauté pan, cook to crisp

6 slices of bacon chopped in small pieces

In the last few minutes of rendering the bacon, add

3 ounces of chopped chorizo sausage

Drain off the fat and deglaze the pan with some of the soup stock and add to the soup pot when adding the bacon and sausage.

In a large pot sauté

3 cloves minced garlic
1 large shallot finely chopped
in
2 tbsp olive oil
Add ¾ cup white wine
Boil gently until reduce to about half the volume.

Add the roasted vegetables along with

Previously cooked bacon and sausage
3 cups tomato juice
3 cups fish stock (or chicken stock if you prefer)
3 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 tsp marjoram
Salt and pepper to season

Simmer very gently for 20-30 minutes before adding:

1 ½ to 2 pounds of seafood of your choice, cut into bite sized pieces
3 chopped Roma tomatoes

Simmer very gently for another 5 to 10 minutes until the fish is cooked. Any combination of shrimp, salmon, halibut, cod, mussels, clams etc all work well. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh chopped Italian parsley or dill. Personally, if I am adding shrimp and scallops, I prefer to pan sear these separately and add them to the chowder bowls when serving.