Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Seared Scallops w/ Creamed Corn & Asparagus


Happy Wednesday everybody!  I just got home from picking up our first CSA of the year!  The rain really did a number on the farms because we didn't get as big of a share as they had hoped for us to get - but hey, I'm happy with anything!  We ended up with a bunch of mixed greens, scallions, lettuce, and a few strawberries.  They also subbed in some canned stuff due to the lack of actual produce - pumpkin butter (can we say yum?!), garden salsa, and soy sauce - all locally made of course!

What's also great about today is the sun is shining!  No rain (with the exception of a few sprinkles this morning) all day!  Hallelujah!

Anyway, this past Sunday was slim pickins in the house.  Well, I wanted to experiment and test my abilities with what we already had, anyway.  We had just went to the grocery on Saturday and I picked up some scallops from Whole Foods, not really knowing what I wanted to do with them yet.  Andy just so happened to get some corn and asparagus, so the dish just came together naturally.  After checking my handy dandy Flavor Bible (best resource ever!), all of those components were a go!  Don't you just love when a meal comes together like that?

Ingredients:


6 sea scallops 
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large corn on the cob
1 to 2 tablespoons of whole milk
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
about 10 stalks of asparagus
1 tablespoon butter
4 strips of bacon

Preheat oven to 400 F. 

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Place bacon atop foil and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned and crisp.  Place on paper towel-lined plate to dry, then chop into small pieces.

Heat a small saucepan under medium high heat and add butter and bay leaf.

Cut corn from the cob and place in saucepan.  Cook for about 10 minutes or so, until corn has slightly softened.  Season with cayenne pepper and salt.  Add in milk and heat for about 2-3 minutes.

Remove bay leaf and puree corn with an immersion blender, adding more milk if needed, until you reach your desired consistency.  I like my creamed corn slightly chunky, but smooth at the same time.  Heat on low to keep warm while you make the asparagus and scallops.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat and add olive oil.  Add asparagus spears and saute for about 5 minutes, or until bright green and still slightly crisp.  Remove from pan with tongs and set aside.

In same skillet, add more olive oil, if needed and bring heat up just a tad.  Season scallops with salt and pepper and add to skillet.  Cook for about 2 & 1/2 minutes per side, or until nicely browned.  You don't want to overcook them because they'll still continue to cook after you take them out of the pan. 

To plate, add a good amount of creamed corn to form a base.  Then place about 5 asparagus spears on each plate.  Arrange scallops on or around asparagus and garnish with bacon (not a crucial step, but definitely one I wouldn't want to skip, hehe). 


I loved how so many different textures were going on here.  The smoothness of the corn, the crunch of the asparagus, the delicate scallop.  It was perfect!  This was definitely something I could see myself eating at an elegant restaurant (hey, maybe it'll be a dish in my restaurant one day??? - a girl can dream, right?).  It was fresh, flavorful, and definitely hit the spot in a hurry! 

Well, I'm off to go play some volleyball (can we say undefeated for the season so far?  Hopefully I didn't just jinx us!)  Have a great rest of your Wednesday guys!  And stay tuned tomorrow for some pics of our first CSA pick-up!

23 comments:

  1. It seems very tasty. Il love scallops. Thanks for your comment on my post.

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  2. Great to have your first CSA! These scallops are huge and beautiful!

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  3. I love all of the ingredients, seared scallops especially, it all sounds so good! We're enjoying the first sunny warm day of the season today and I'm about to go out and enjoy it.

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  4. These scallops looks incredible. The presentation is terrific!

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  5. I looks lovely - I may have to try it - wish scallops weren't so expensive though!!!!

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  6. Definitely looks great! I'm glad you were able to gather inspiration from the ingredients you had on hand and made this wonderful meal. I love the mix of colors and textures :)

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  7. Yum. Scallops are a favorite of my hubby.

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  8. Scallops so yum and great... Nice combination

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  9. This is my dream dish. I love the combination od seared scallops and bacon to begin with. The sweet creaminess of the corn to top it off and asparagus (which I adore) are fabulous!

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  10. Peggy, I'll be so excited to see your fresh vegetables are being used for your cooking. This dish looks so nice! My husband and I were looking for a scallop recipe this morning for tonight's dinner we hosted. I should have checked facebook (or your blog) so we could see this post... But I'll keep this for another occasion. Thanks Peggy!

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  11. I'm doing my first CSA this year and am SO excited! I love this fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants dish! Looks fantastic.

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  12. A marvelous preparation and plating.

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  13. Oh my goodness! My husband would be drooling. 3 of his all time favorite things are bacon, corn, and scallops! Must try. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  14. I LOVE scallops and asparagus! Nom nom nom..

    I actually cooked scallops for myself for the first time recently. I love seafood & fish, but I'm so scared of cooking it & ruining it because it's expensive. I cooked them though, no ruining involved :)

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  15. Bacon makes everything better. For serious.

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  16. Wow! This dish looks amazing! I cant believe you already have your first CSA pick-up! Ours don't start until the 19th. :(

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  17. That is a beautiful dish! A lovely combination, yummy.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  18. Perfectly caramelized crusted scallops with asparagus - what could be better? :)

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  19. Un plat superbe et délicieux !
    Merci pour la gentille visite.
    Bonne soirée.

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  20. Love, love scallops. These look amazing!

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  21. Oh wow I must makes these myself, they look incredible! You have some really great recipes on here, so glad to be your newest follower! :)

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