Seared Scallops with Ancient Grains & Pink Grapefruit Parsley Oil
I’ve been making this dish for years. In fact, it’s a twist on an old classic Italian recipe. Since the original has brown butter and Parmesan cheese, I’m trying to make it a slightly healthier version by reducing the amount of saturated fat and changing the Arborio rice to ancient grains. Gone are the days of being a big meat eating chef. I am now a flexitarian having meat once or twice a month, and fish two to three times a week. The rest of the time, I eat mainly plants and grains. At 54, I can honestly say that following a plant-based diet I feel the best I’ve felt in years. One other thing that happens eating this way is you save money, as you’re not spending it on large amounts of expensive animal flesh. Meat prices continue to rise each year. So every now and again, I can spend my money on an item like scallops, which can be a bit more expensive. They are well worth the “wow” factor every now and again. Plus, fresh harvested scallops taste amazing, and, like any good quality product, you don’t have to do a great deal with them. Just season and then pan fry them. Enjoy!
Seared Scallops with Ancient Grains, Pink Grapefruit, Parsley Oil
Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as an appetizer
Ingredients:
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 cup low sodium vegetables stock
1 cup mixed ancient grains
¼ cup pistachio nuts, chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 large hand dived scallops, pat each scallop dry
2 tablespoons freshly chopped Italian parsley
1 pink grapefruit, segmented, retain juice
How to make:
Pour the clam juice and vegetables stock into a medium size pan, stir in the grains, place over a medium heat high, bring to the boil then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the grains are tender, remove from the heat and stir in the pistachio nuts, place on a lid to keep warm.
Take a medium size frying pan, add the oil, place over a medium to high heat, season each scallop and carefully place each scallop into the hot oil, allow the scallops to cook for 1 to 2 minutes before carefully turning each one over. Then cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes, press each scallop lightly to make sure they are ¾ cooked. The scallops should be firm to touch but yield slightly.
You want the scallops slightly under done so you can add the chopped parsley and pink grapefruit juice, spoon the oil, parsley and juice over each scallop, then remove from the heat, keep warm.
To serve, spoon the grains onto a large dish or platter then arrange the scallops on top, drizzle over the grapefruit parley oil, scatter over the pink grapefruit segments and serve – Enjoy.