Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [31]
2 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
2 large leeks, about 1½ pounds, washed and chopped
¾ to 1½ pounds shrimp, peeled and, if you like, deveined
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons good-quality stock, dry sherry, or soy sauce (optional)
1. Put half the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over high heat. When a bit of smoke appears, add the leeks all at once. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then cook, stirring only occasionally, for about 10 minutes. When the leeks dry out and begin to brown, remove them from the pan and set aside.
2. With the heat still on high, add the remaining oil to the pan, immediately followed by the shrimp; sprinkle with the ginger. Cook for about a minute and stir. Cook, stirring every minute or so, until the shrimp are almost all pink. Add the leeks, along with some salt and pepper. When the shrimp are done (no traces of gray will remain), stir in the liquid if desired, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
SOY-DIPPED SHRIMP
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 20 MINUTES
MANY PEOPLE WILL find this their idea of paradise: simply grilled shrimp in a strong-flavored soy dipping sauce.
1 tablespoon medium-hot paprika
2 tablespoons peanut oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds shrimp, peeled and, if you like, deveined
½ cup good-quality soy sauce
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
1½ teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
⅛ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1. Preheat a grill to moderately hot. Mix the paprika, peanut oil, and salt and pepper to taste and rub all over the shrimp. Grill the shrimp, turning once, until done, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce with the garlic, ginger, lemon juice, and cayenne; taste and adjust the seasoning.
2. Serve the shrimp hot, with the soy mixture as a dipping sauce.
STUFFED SCALLOPS
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 30 MINUTES
THE SEA SCALLOP is one of the most perfect of nature’s convenience foods—almost nothing cooks faster. This is especially true if you opt to heat the mollusk until it remains rare in the center, as do most scallop admirers.
Sea scallops are also large enough to stuff, not with bread crumbs or other fish, as is common with clams or lobsters, but with herbs, garlic, and other flavorings. As long as a scallop is a good inch across and roughly three-quarters of an inch thick, you can make an equatorial slit in it and fill it with any number of stuffings.
20 large fresh basil leaves
1 small garlic clove, peeled
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1¼ to 1½ pounds large sea scallops of fairly uniform size
1. Mince the basil, garlic, salt, and pepper together until very fine, almost a puree (use a small food processor if you like). Mix in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to produce a thick paste.
2. Cut most but not all of the way through the equator of each scallop, then smear a bit of the basil mixture on the exposed center; close the scallop.
3. Put a large nonstick skillet over high heat for a minute; add the remaining oil, then the scallops, one at a time. As each scallop browns—it should take no longer than 1 or 2 minutes—turn it and brown the other side. Serve hot, drizzled with the pan juices.
VARIATIONS
Sautéed Scallops with Herb Paste
Substitute prepared pesto for the basil mixture. Alternatively, substitute fresh parsley, cilantro, or dill for the basil.
Stuffed Scallops with Greens
When the scallops are done, put them on a bed of greens (about 6 cups is right for this amount of scallops). Turn the heat under the skillet to low and add 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Cook, stirring, for about 10 seconds, then pour the pan juices over the scallops and greens and serve, drizzled with more olive oil if you like.
Sautéed Scallops Stuffed with Peanut Sauce