Seared Alaska Scallops with Romesco on Chips; Correction to Sockeye Salmon Rice Pilaf
Prep Time: 1 hours | Cook Time: 8 minutes | Total Time: 1 hours
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Vital Choice Alaskan Weathervane scallops (about 40 pieces)
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Vital Choice extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 12 ounces firm-ripe Roma tomatoes, cored
- 1 thick slice firm-textured French bread (1 ounce), toasted
- 1/2 cup canned roasted red peppers, drained
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1‒2 teaspoons organic cayenne, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Organic black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Potato or root vegetable chips, thick-cut or baked
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Spread almonds and tomatoes in separate baking pans. Bake almonds until slightly darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Bake tomatoes until skins begin to split and shrivel, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Pour almonds into the bowl of a food processor. Tear bread into chunks and add to bowl. Whirl until finely ground.
- Cut tomatoes in half and add to processor, along with roasted red peppers, parsley, vinegar, cayenne, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whirl until mixture is smooth. With motor running, slowly pour in 1/4 cup olive oil and whirl until incorporated. Taste, and add more salt if desired. Scrape romesco into a bowl.
- Rinse scallops and gently pat dry. Sprinkle lightly all over with salt and pepper. In a 10 to 12 inch frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Add scallops and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides and opaque but still moist-looking in the center (cut one to test), about 8 minutes total. Keep heat high enough to evaporate juices released from scallops.
- Arrange as many potato chips as you have scallops on a platter, unless two will fit comfortably on a chip. Top each with a scallop (or two), then a dollop of romesco. Serve immediately.