• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

To prepare the pickled carrots, in a medium bowl, toss the carrots with the rice wine vinegar. Marinate the carrots for at least 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the vinegar for another use, and set aside.

To prepare the scallops, dry them with paper towels. Place them on a plate and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and, when it is really hot, carefully add the scallops to the pan, being careful not to splatter oil on yourself or crowd the pan with too many scallops. Cook the scallops for 2 minutes on one side without disturbing them, or until they are caramelized, then flip, cooking the other side for only a minute or so more.

To assemble the dish, gently reheat the carrot cream, then spoon some on each of 4 plates. Top each plate with several scallops. Drizzle some Herb Oil around the scallops and garnish with a sprinkling of pickled carrots and marjoram leaves.

PAIRING: A sauvignon blanc, such as Château Leredde Sancerre Blanc 2007, Sancerre, France, or a Chablis.

HERB OIL

¾ cup packed fresh Italian

parsley leaves

1 tablespoon fresh marjoram

leaves

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup neutral vegetable oil,

such as canola or safflower

Pinch of salt

This recipe is infinitely flexible; many times I make it with basil and parsley. The reason I use both olive oil and a neutral oil is that sometimes the olive oil can dominate or make the oil a little bitter. The neutral oil allows the flavor of the herbs to shine, while the addition of some olive oil rounds out the flavor.

MAKES ABOUT ¾ CUP

In a blender, combine the parsley, marjoram, olive oil, vegetable oil, and salt. Blend until the oil turns a vibrant green color, about 3 minutes. You can strain the oil through a fine-mesh strainer if you’d like or leave it with some texture. Transfer the oil to a bowl, or if you’d like to be all fancy-pants, feel free to transfer it to a squeeze bottle.

summer scallops with corn soup

For the olive salad:

¼ cup pitted kalamata olives,

minced

10 Castelvetrano or other fruity

green olives, pitted and sliced

into thin strips

1 tablespoon chopped fresh

Italian parsley

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Herb Oil (see page

90)

Freshly ground pepper

For the corn soup:

10 ounces frozen corn kernels,

thawed, or 2 cups fresh corn

kernels (cut from about 2

large ears of corn)

1 cup clam juice, warmed

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Honey (optional)

For the tomato bread:

1 baguette

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 tomato, cut into four ¼-inch

slices, the rest cut into small

dice

Sea salt

For the scallops:

12 sea scallops

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons high-heat

vegetable oil

For serving:

2 tablespoons Herb Oil (page

90)

2 tablespoons chile oil (found

in the Asian foods aisle of

large supermarkets)

Do not be deceived into thinking this dish is difficult to make because of its many components. Each part is extremely simple, and the result is a symphony of summer flavors: sweet corn; juicy, meaty tomatoes; the world’s best fruit—the olive; and buttery scallops. All of it served with crusty, tomato-juice-soaked, toasted bread and two bright, piquant oils. This is the dish I would take with me to a desert island.

SERVES 4

To prepare the olive salad, in a small bowl, combine the olives, parsley, red wine vinegar, and Herb Oil. Season to taste with pepper and set aside.

To prepare the corn soup, if you are using fresh corn, fill a small saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with ice water. When the water is boiling, add the corn. Cook until it is barely cooked through but still tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer the corn to a colander, drain, and then plunge it into the ice bath. When cool, drain through a colander.

In a blender combine the corn, clam juice, and butter until smooth (you can then pass the soup through a fine-mesh strainer if you want a more luxurious texture).