Scallops with Pineapple Salsa

Well, lucky reader(s) (I can only assume there's more than one of you), today is the most grand of days as I find myself with enough energy to write two posts in one night. As Kevin copes with his 4 whole days of unemployment (seriously I'm shocked I didn't come home to him in a Drew Carey induced stupor), he decided we should make dinner. I was feeling scallops given our great track record with them and their appearance on Top Chef last night. I was also feeling Mexican food. We both agreed this sounded like a horrible combination, but found a way to somewhat appease my pregnancy like cravings by adding this pineapple "salsa".

Scallops with Pineapple Salsa
Modified from Paula Deen
Servings: 2
Time: 20 minutes

One of these scallops is not like the other

1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup pineapple, cubed
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp red onion, diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 1/2 tsp lime zest
1 jalapeno, diced and seeded
1 tbsp sriracha sauce
6 scallops
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Butter

A close-up of the scallopy goodness.

1. Combine the pineapple, cucumber, cilantro, red onion, lime juice, zest, jalapeno, sriracha, and a pinch of salt in a bowl.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the top and bottom of the scallops.
3. Sear the scallops in butter and olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes per side until a healthy crust forms.
4. Top the scallops with the salsa and enjoy.

I also describe how I dance as "making pineapple salsa".

Any chance we get to include cilantro in a meal, we will gladly take. For me though, the real star was the pineapple with the scallops (Kevin was a fan of the cucumber aspect, so everyone won). At first, I was a little opposed to the salsa because the scallops are so amazingly butteryly (I'll be sure to play that word in scrabble in the future) tasty on their own that it almost seems like overkill to add anything else to them. In the end, I appreciated the sweetness and acidity that the pineapple added. To round out the meal, we added an earthy salad to balance the richness of the scallops.  Now, I just hope this delicious meal making continues for the remaining three days Kevin has between jobs.

It's important to balance the meal (and give my body the greens it's been deprived of).

The Kennair-Kuelbsian Culinary Theory Part I: Scallops with Sweet Beer Sauce

You'll have to wait until part 2 to find out about the rest of the meal. Tonight we focus on the scallops.

Tonight marked the glorious reunion with my college roommate of three years, Kevin. Despite initial trepidation over his many Hawaiian shirts when we met on move in day freshman year, Kevin and I eventually formed one of history's greatest guy loves (a bromance to even rival Scrubs' J.D. and Turk). After graduation we both started working on our cooking skills, so I was very excited to join culinary forces when I got back to Houston. The result far surpassed any expectations I had as we made a dinner for the ages.

We're the two in the middle. We may have had a slight height disadvantage.

Scallops
Servings: 3
Time: 7 minutes

6 jumbo scallops
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Butter
Sweet Beer Sauce (see below)

1. Rinse the scallops
2. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper on the top and bottom of the scallops.
3. Sauté the scallops in butter over medium heat for around 3-4 minutes per side until browned.
4. Top with sweet beer sauce and serve.

These scallops were incredible. I actually didn't like scallops until recently when I finally had well prepared ones. They have a tendency (like most seafood) to be overcooked and rubbery, but when they're done right, they can be cut with a fork and practically melt like butter.

Sweet Beer Sauce

The most versatile of all ingredients: beer.

Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

Pinch of onion, chopped

6 oz wheat beer (we used Mothership Wit)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp cloves

1. Sauté the garlic and onion in butter until soft (about 3 minutes).
2. Add the beer and brown sugar and let it heat up.
3. Once the mixture is warm mix in the cloves. Bring to a simmer and reduce by at least half.
4. Strain the solids out of the mixture and use to top the scallops.

All that work for about 1/4 of a cup.

By themselves, the scallops  were amazing, but the sauce really helped push them to the stratosphere.  The only minor complaint that can be made is that the sauce was a little too heavy on the cloves, so in the future I would probably increase the amount of brown sugar and reduce the cloves. It served as a great protein base for our meal that was completed by a grapefruit and pear infused risotto and a wonderfully earthy salad.

A fancy and delicious meal that made me almost feel like an adult.

Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of our fiesta.