Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [26]
And, if you’re thinking ahead (like we always try to do!), make the pickles a day (or a week) in advance and keep them in the fridge. These pickles make anything taste tangy and delicious; I keep a jar on hand for whenever a salad or sammie needs an extra little pickle-y punch!
MISE EN PLACE
1-pound wedge watermelon
1 cup champagne or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
Pinch of crushed red pepper
8 large sea scallops
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 watermelon radish (about the size of a kiwi), peeled and julienned
1 cup dandelion greens, cut into ½-inch-wide ribbons
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
1 Carefully cut the rind off the watermelon. Using a mandoline or a sharp vegetable peeler, shave the rind into wide ribbons about ⅛ inch thick. In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and red pepper. Add the watermelon rind ribbons and let stand at room temperature for at least an hour (BTW—this can totally be done yesterday).
2 Meanwhile, dice the watermelon flesh into ½-inch pieces and reserve.
3 When the watermelon pickles are done, heat the grill.
4 Brush the scallops with olive oil and season with salt. Place on the grill and cook until grill marks appear, about 1 minute, then rotate the scallops 90 degrees and let the grill marks develop in the other direction (what you’re going for here are those lovely crosshatch grill marks!). Turn the scallops over and repeat; the scallops are done when they’re no longer translucent, about 2 minutes each side.
5 While the scallops cook, drain the rind pickles, reserving their liquid. Toss the reserved watermelon, the rind pickles, watermelon radish, dandelion greens, and red onion together in a large bowl. Dress the salad with 2 tablespoons of the pickling liquid and some olive oil. TASTE! Adjust seasonings and dressing if needed.
6 Arrange the deliciously dressed salad in a tall pile just off the center of four salad plates. Cut the scallops equatorially (through the middle, like the equator) and lay the disks slightly overlapping, grilled side up, on the salad. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
Nice melons!
Grilled Soft-Shell Crabs with Asparagus, Arugula & Spring Onion Salad with Aïoli
SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES
When soft-shell crabs are in season, it’s the one time of year I like being crabby! I adore these guys perched on a delicious veggie salad with garlic mayo. The beauty of the soft-shell crab is you can eat the whole shootin’ match—on a salad, in a sandwich, however. Who says being crabby isn’t fun?
MISE EN PLACE
FOR THE AÏOLI
2 egg yolks
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
1½ cups peanut or other neutral-flavored oil
FOR THE CRABS AND SALAD
4 soft-shell crabs
1 bunch of pencil or standard asparagus, tough bottom stems removed
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 cups baby arugula
2 spring onions, julienned
1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons big fat finishing oil
FOR THE AÏOLI
Combine the egg yolks, garlic, vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt in the bowl of a food processor and purée until the mixture is homogeneous. Then, with the machine running, VERY slowly drizzle in the oil until it begins to thicken. When the mixture starts to look like mayonnaise, add the oil in a thin, slow stream. Check the aïoli for texture and flavor: If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water to thin it; or on the flip side if it’s too thin, add more oil. (This will make more than you need for this dish, so refrigerate the rest and use it on other good stuff, like these chickpea fries.
FOR THE CRABS AND SALAD
1 Preheat the grill.
2 Clean the crabs by lifting up the outer shell on each side and pulling out the gills. Then pull the “apron” flap off the bottom of the crab. Using a sharp pair of