Good Fish_ Sustainable Seafood Recipes From the Pacific Coast - Becky Selengut [38]
Preheat the broiler. Place a rack in the top third of the oven.
To prepare the tomato bread, slice the baguette into eight 1-inch-thick slices. (Freeze the remaining baguette for another day.) Brush each slice with some olive oil. Spread the slices on a baking sheet and broil the bread until it is lightly brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes (keep a close eye on it!). Remove from the oven and, using a fork, press the diced tomato onto the browned sides of the bread slices. Sprinkle each with a little sea salt. Reserve the tomato slices for when you assemble the dish.
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. Set aside and keep warm until ready to assemble dish.
To assemble the dish, ladle some corn soup into each of 4 wide, shallow bowls. Lay a tomato slice sprinkled with a little salt in the middle of each bowl. Place 3 scallops around the tomato. Spoon some olive salad on top of each scallop. Drizzle ½ tablespoon Herb Oil and ½ tablespoon chile oil around the edges of the soup. Serve with the tomato bread.
PAIRING: A rosé from Tavel or Côtes du Rhône, such as M. Chapoutier “Belleruche” 2007, Côtes du Rhône, France, or a white Burgundy from Mâcon, France.
scallops with tarragon beurre blanc
For the pea and asparagus purée:
4 ounces asparagus (5 to
7 spears), chopped, tips
reserved
¼ cup fresh or frozen peas
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley
leaves
3 tablespoons plain Greek-style
yogurt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive
oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the tarragon beurre blanc:
1 teaspoon chopped fresh
tarragon
1 tablespoon minced shallot
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon champagne
vinegar
5 tablespoons cold unsalted
butter
For the prosciutto, pea, and asparagus sauté:
1 ounce prosciutto, cut into
small dice
1 tablespoon minced shallot
Reserved asparagus tips
Reserved 1 tablespoon peas
Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the scallops:
4 large (10 to 20 count) sea
scallops, about 1½ ounces
per scallop
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon high-heat
vegetable oil
For serving:
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
leaves, as garnish
I suppose this is the place where I could wax poetic about spring: the chartreuse profusions of new leaves and sweet, sweet peas and the majesty of asparagus. But I won’t. You’ve heard all that before. What I’ll say instead are two things: rich, creamy herbal butter and crispy prosciutto. Spring is great and all, but it’s also a confusing time, when the weather is as bipolar as Sylvia Plath and you’re not sure how to dress. This dish has one foot firmly in fatten-up wintertime and the other foot firmly in healthy, vegetal summertime, just like spring itself.
Do-ahead tip: The tarragon beurre blanc can be prepared the day before, without adding the butter. Before serving, just reheat on the lowest setting and whisk in the butter. The pea and asparagus purée can be made the day before and warmed to serve.
SERVES 4 AS A SMALL PLATE OR 2 AS A LIGHT ENTRÉE
To prepare the purée, chop the asparagus stems into 1-inch pieces. 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 asparagus pieces. Cook until the pieces are barely cooked through but still tender, about 4 minutes. Remove them immediately with a slotted spoon and plunge into the ice bath. When the pieces have cooled, remove them from the ice bath.
If using fresh peas, blanch