Scallops with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Scallops are succulent pieces of seafood that should be complimented and not hidden. I like to pair them with creative sauces that enhance their natural flavor. This sun-dried tomato sauce with a hint of lemon pairs perfectly with their delicate flavor.

 

Ingredients:

 

- 2 lbs. fresh sea scallops

- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, diced

- 1 lemon

- 1/2 cup minced garlic

- 1 tsp. vegetable bullion

- sea salt

- olive oil

- fresh basil

 

To Make:

 

Dry scallops completely. Season with sea salt.

 

Heat olive oil in small pan. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute on medium-low heat. Add diced sun dried tomatoes. Squeeze 1/2 lemon juice into mix. Heat up the vegetable bullion in microwave with 1/2 cup water for 1 minute. Add into the sun-dried tomato mixture. Mix together and cook for 2 minutes until thickened. Turn off heat.

 

In medium pan, heat olive oil and cook scallops 2-3 minutes per side.

 

Arrange scallops on a plate, spoon sauce over top. Add lemon zest if desired. Serve with fresh basil over-top.



Mini Scallops with Spicy Spinach Spaghetti

I love mini scallops. In my opinion, they are absolutely perfect for pairing with pasta because you get a bite of scallop with every twirl! I really wanted to make this dish POP, so instead of using regular spaghetti I used spinach but I decided to give it even more of an edge by adding a habanero pepper to the sauce! This dish is comfort, elegance and heat all in one! Enjoy!

The Sexy Chef Liz's - Mini Scallops with Spicy Spinach Spaghetti

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. mini scallops, fully drained and patted dry
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 habanero pepper,  minced
- 1/2 lb spinach spaghetti
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup feta cheese
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, diced
- 6 large fresh basil leaves
- 1 lemon
- olive oil
- crushed red pepper flakes
-  salt
- pepper



To Make:
In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions, no more than 9 minutes or until al-dente.

In the meantime, in a large skillet, drizzle some olive oil and toast 1/2 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes for about 30 seconds on medium heat. Next add in the onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Next add in the habanero pepper. Mix together. Saute on medium for about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a food processor, add the veggie mixture, the feta cheese and the basil. Turn on the processor and blend until smooth, slowly adding in another tbsp of olive oil.

Remove from the processor, place back into the saute pan and cook on low heat, slowly mixing in the Parmesan cheese.

Lastly, in another medium saute pan, drizzle with olive oil and heat until hot. Add in the mini scallops and cook for 1 minute, 30 seconds on each side. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add directly into the sauce and mix together.

Using tongs, take the cooked pasta directly out of the pasta water and place into the sauce. Gently mix together with tongs.

Serve immediately while hot and enjoy!

Scallop & Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Bok Choy is found in a lot of Asian meals. The flavor is superb and really melds well with lots of different flavor combinations. My favorite way to eat bok choy is with noodles. Enjoy this dish.

Ingredients:
- 2 medium bok choy
- 2 carrots
- 1 large jalapeno
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 red chili peppers, (dried and chopped)
- 1/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti, linguini, vermicelli, (your choice)
- 1/2 pound Jumbo Scallops
- vegetable broth
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil

To Make:

Begin by boiling a large pot of water for the pasta. Make sure to salt the water and cook pasta according to package directions, about 9 minutes or until al-dente.

In the meantime, peel the carrots then cut them in half and thinly slice them.  Then drizzle olive oil into a large pan and saute the carrots for about 4 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add  in the minced garlic. Slice the jalapeno down the middle and remove the seeds. Then thinly slice and add into the mixture. Add in the red chilies. Cook about 5-6 minutes until tender. Next, cut the bottoms off of the bok choy and slice into thin strips. Add into the pan. Drizzle extra olive and season with salt and pepper. Mix together. Cook another 5 minutes or until the bok choy is tender.

Once the pasta is ready, do not drain. Add directly into the pan with veggies. Toss together. Keep on low heat and set aside.

In another medium pan, drizzle with olive oil and set to high heat. Make sure the scallops are completely dry before placing them into the pan. Season them with salt and pepper. Once the pan is ready, cook then about 2 minutes on each side.

To Plate:

Arrange the veggie and pasta mixture in the bottom of a large soup bowl. Place scallops on top. Add 1/2 cup hot vegetable broth over top and serve while hot.