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CURRIED SCALLOPS WITH TOMATOES

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 20 MINUTES

YOU CAN NEVER go wrong by adding a little crunch to scallops when you sauté them (see the following recipe for another example). Usually, you dredge them in flour, cornmeal, or bread crumbs before adding them to the hot pan, and it’s something that most everyone seems to like. But you can take that crunch and give it an intense flavor by dredging the scallops directly in a spice mix. Although you can’t do this with everything—dried herbs don’t get crisp, and some spices are far too strong to use in this quantity—it works perfectly with curry powder, which not only seasons the scallops and their accompanying sauce but gives them the crunch we all crave.

3 medium tomatoes

1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

1½ to 2 pounds large sea scallops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons curry powder, or to taste

½ cup heavy or sour cream or yogurt (optional)

Juice of 1 lime

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or Thai basil

1. Core the tomatoes (cut a cone-shaped wedge out of the stem end), then squeeze and shake out their seeds. Chop their flesh into ½-inch pieces and set aside. Put the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes. While it is heating, sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper and spread the curry powder on a plate.

2. When the oil is hot, work quickly to dredge the scallops lightly in the curry powder and add them to the pan. About 2 minutes after you added the first scallop, turn it—it should be nicely browned (if it is not, raise the heat a bit). When the scallops are all browned and turned, cook for another minute, then add the tomatoes and the cream if you’re using it (if you are using yogurt, lower the heat immediately; it must not boil).

3. Heat the tomatoes through, then taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinkle with the lime juice, stir in the cilantro, and serve.

SEA SCALLOPS WITH NUTS

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 15 MINUTES

IF YOU CAN find the rare (and shockingly expensive) true bay scallops from Nantucket or Long Island, by all means use them in this dish, but reduce the cooking time. Do not, however, try this dish with the tiny calico scallops (sometimes mislabeled as bays), which, despite your best efforts, will overcook before they brown.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

About 1½ pounds sea scallops

Salt

Pinch of cayenne

⅓ cup roughly chopped skin-on almonds, pecans, or walnuts

¾ cup dry white or red wine

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

1. Put the oil and half the butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the scallops with salt and a bit of cayenne. When the butter foam subsides, add the scallops to the skillet, one at a time (or all at once if you’re using bay scallops), and turn the heat to high. Cook for about 2 minutes or until brown on one side, then turn and brown the other side for another minute or two. (Scallops are best when rare in the center; if you like them more well done, cook for another couple of minutes.)

2. Transfer the scallops to a plate and keep warm. Add the nuts to the skillet and, still over high heat, cook, stirring, until dark brown, just a minute or two. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining butter; when it has thickened the sauce, pour over the scallops, garnish if you like, and serve.

ROASTED BAY SCALLOPS WITH BROWN BUTTER AND SHALLOTS

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 20 MINUTES

REAL BAY SCALLOPS—which come from the waters between Cape Cod and Long Island—are in season through the winter and are an amazing treat (they’re also amazingly expensive). Though you can eat them raw, they’re also good cooked, but simply . . . very simply.

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

1½ pounds bay scallops

3 tablespoons minced shallot

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped fresh basil or snipped chives for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to the maximum, at least 500°F. As it preheats, put a roasting pan