fried bay scallops

i honestly thought i was done with food braised, fried or sauced. we had a few warm days, very conducive to light fare, salads dressed brightly in lemony vinaigrettes, grilled fish and vegetables. zhara welcomed the absence of scarfs, mittens and winter boots, and the arrival of the first spring flowers. which were promptly burried in snow yesterday.

yet even before the weather turned, i only cooked comfort food. matzo ball soup, hungarian goulash over spaetzle and these cheese pastries with plump raisins that zhara loves.  we did have fish one night, but pan-fried with vegetables drowned in balsamic buttersauce. perhaps it's understandable, considering the week we had. and speaking of which: thanks again to everyone who called or wrote, it was all very kind of you.

 tonight i'll try to keep things light, but first these scallops: sweet and crunchy, with a slight kick. we absolutely loved them.

1 lb bay scallops

4 tb all-purpose flour

1 ts ground ginger

1/2 ts smoked hot paprika

1/2 ts garlic powder

salt, pepper to taste

1 egg

2 tb milk

1 cup panko, possibly more

heat oil in the widest pan you have. no olive oil, something neutre like canola, sunflower or vegetable oil. mix the flour with the condiments. beat the egg with a glug of milk and a pinch of salt. line up the plates of flour, egg and panko. pat the scallops dry. put them all in the flour at the same time, but only lift a handful at a time and shake them well to remove any excess. put them through the egg, roll around in panko and fry till golden. they go very fast, about 3 minutes on side one, another 2 after they're flipped. you want the oil to come up half-way around them so you only have to turn them once. do not crowd the pan - you have to be able to see it in between the scallops. you shouldn't fry more than two batches in the same oil, panko will fall behind and burn, so use your widest pan. remove to paper towel. they're absolutely delicious, great hot or room temp. goes great with baked fries or rice. plum sauce really puts it in context. when you dip, you get a layer of crunchy spicy sweet panko, then mild scallop, almost creamy against the breading, it's a great contrast and a nice pairing of tastes.

scallop gratin

this is a dish fancy enough to entertain, but is remarkably easy to prepare, especially if you have a two year old to do all the sprinkling for you. it's a barefoot contessa recipe that i've been meaning to prepare for ages. it looks very pretty in individual dishes, but the taste won't be in any way diminished in a larger dish.

i had to adapt the recipe to fit what i had in the fridge, which did not contain pernod - nor will it ever, because i don't appreciate anise-flavoured beverages - and so i used only a demisec romanian white wine, which worked quite well. i don't believe it suffered at all. also omitted the shallot and substituted the fresh parsley with dried herbes de provence. and i don't like to dirty up the mixer when the job is easily done by hand. the official dishwasher isn't home.

please use the link above if you care to see the recipe. scale it, adapt it, do what you like but do not give up the garlic, the prosciutto, the lemon, and do use panko. regular breadcrumbs will never work as well. i skipped the wine on the bottom, and i added an extra layer of panko mixed with parmesan on top. zhara had a ton of fun, and once the gratin was in the oven she refused to get down, saying she's not done cooking. so i finally could take a few pictures of her.

quick scallop zucchini saute

this is one of my favourite dishes. sometimes i serve it over wild rice but mostly i wolf it down as is, after long days when i can't be bothered with cooking. in all seriousness: 5 minutes of holding a pan over fire does not come close of encompassing the definition. this is literally easier then ordering take out. serves two or just me with a big fork.

1/2 lb/225gr bay scallops

1 zucchini, grated

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tb lemon juice

1 tb parsley, minced

toasted almonds

pour a bit of olive oil in a pan and get it smoldering hot. dry the scallops on paper towels and put them in the pan. sear undisturbed for two minutes then flip them. add the miced garlic and cook a minute more. toss in the zucchini and lemon juice and cook until the scallops are opaque and the zucchini is softened, 3-4 minutes. the point is more to warm it through. season with salt and a generous pinch of pepper. add the parsley, stir and kill the heat. top with the almonds. that's it. eat it while watching some scandalous drama to compensate for the lack of dirty pots and pans.

sole fillet stuffed with a mushroom duxelle; a sauce and parmesan polenta

because murphy's laws run rampant in my life, i haven't had a chance to post lately. we did eat in the meantime. the child was fed. for the most part. (do hot-dogs count?)
anyhoo, my meat-and-potatoes husband raved about this dish. we really loved it, and we're not that big on fish. we like shrimp and scallops, but fish, eh. this i'll make again and again.

i don't know how to accurately describe the cooking method - it's not a roast/bake/broil, though it's in the oven. oven-poach. i think that's a reasonable description. it's poached/steamed in dry wine, and the flavour is unbelievable.
this is what you need:
6 to 8 sole fillets
8 oz/225 gr wild mushrooms, i used a blend of shiitake, oyster and crimini
1 onion
1 tb chopped parsley
1 tb butter
1 tb flour
1 cup/250 ml milk
1/2 cup/125 ml dry white wine (or apple cider)
2 ts lemon juice
zest of half lemon
pinch nutmeg
1/2 ts garlic powder
for the creamy polenta:
2 cups/500 ml chicken broth
6 tb instant polenta
1/3 cup grated parmesan
salt, pepper

chop the onion and sweat it in a bit of olive oil over medium heat while you finely chop the mushrooms. add  them to the pan and cook until all the juices are evaporated, about 15 minutes. (you can do this in advance.) mix in the parsley and take it off the heat.
preheat the oven to 350F or 180C. meanwhile, wash and dry the fish. salt and pepper the fillets. these you want about 1 1/2 inch wide, so split in half lenghtwise if needed. reserve 2-3 tb of the mushrooms and equally divide the rest between the fish. spread all over the fillets, pressing gently to make it adhere, on the skin side if skin was not removed. roll up the fish, tail to head end, and put it in a baking dish as closely together as possible. pour the wine over it. cut a piece of parchment to fit the dish and cover all the fish. butter it and place it directly on the fish, so the butter sticks to the fillets. bake for about 20 minutes. depending on your oven, check after 15.
to make the polenta, bring the stock to boil. decrease to a gentle simmer and slowly stream in the polenta. slowly. slowly. or you'll have lumps. stir for 5 minutes. add the parmesan. kill the heat. stir and taste for salt and pepper. keep warm.
when the fish is nearly ready, heat the remaining mushrooms in 1 tb butter. when it's melted add the flour and stir to blend. cook for a couple of minutes then stream in the milk, whisking continuously. add garlic powder and nutmeg. cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. now take the fish from the oven and strain 4 tb of the cooking juices in the mushroom sauce. add the lemon juice and zest, taste for salt. let it sit on very low heat while you plate the polenta and the fish. spoon sauce on top. take a bite and be surprised.

recipe adapted from here.