Bay scallop scampi

 So, I get these "recipe of the month" dealies in the mail with a coupon for Waterfront (awesome sushi and fresh seafood market). They all sound great, but I've never had the gumption to try one before, so I just file them away in my rolodex and hope to look back on them someday with a fresh bounty of seafood at my fingertips. OK, that never happens...but I did have some frozen bay scallops leftover from the proscuitto wrapped scallops I did a while back. Thus, my gumption rang the doorbell when I saw the recipe of the month was bay scallop scampi. Boom shaka laka.

 

Here is the original recipe and I will tell you how I altered it in parentheses (I love parentheses):

 

1.5 T olive oil

3 T butter (I used marscapone cheese rather than butter, just because I had it on hand)

1 lb bay scallops, rinsed and patted dry (very important to decrease popping in the pan)

3 garlic cloves, minced (I used 5...I'm crazy like that)

2 T fresh lemon juice (no lemons, I left this out)

1/4 cup white wine (no white wine, I'm a red fan, I left this out)

2 T capers (not a caper fan, left this out)

salt and cracked pepper to taste

2 T lemon zest (no lemons, no zest)

 

In a large heavy bottomed skillet (I used my new grill pan to make some perdy marks on my scallop friends), heat the oil and butter over medium high heat until mixture starts to brown. Make sure the pan and oil mixture is very hot before adding scallops...but don't burn it.

 

Add minced garlic to the pan, and continually stir to prevent scorching. Season scallops with salt and pepper and add them to the hot pan. Sizzle, sizzle, pop, pop...don't move the scallops around, let them sear for 30 seconds, then turn them over to sear for another 30-40 seconds. Be veddy veddy careful not to cook them for too long (cut into one if you have to), because rubberized scallops are a sin. If you burn them, you have to go to church twice this weekend.

I placed my seared scallops (do you see what I mean about those peeeeerdy grill marks?!) on a bed of the marscapone mashed potatoes that I made earlier in the week. This is the exact reason I don't make mashed taters much at home. We eat them every night...I love it but my potato ass doesn't love it. Extra Kosama this week, here I come!

I also threw 3 cups of fresh spinach into the hot pan with the marscapone after I had pulled the scallops. Wilted it and scooped it onto the plate as a side with the sauteed garlic and all it's love all up in there. Main Man's first words were "What's the green stuff?" but after I told him it was wilted spinach, it was the first thing that was gone from his plate. Score one for wifey!

This was a great meal, and one that I would've been happy with had we gone to Waterfront and ordered it at the restaurant. Nice to have it at home for half the cost!  Happy Friday, all! Enjoy your weekend :)