recipe zeit! seared & poached scallops

6 scallops
1 bunch of scallion
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 strips of bacon (seared scallops)
sea salt
2 limes (seared scallops)
1 orange (poached scallops)
butter

clean/prep/season

grab a bowl to clean/prep your scallops then rinse in cold water.  next soften up a lime to release its juices and mix in with the scallops to get rid of the 'fresh off da boat' aroma.  nice!  pat dry your scallops and place in a dry bowl.  crush your black peppercorns to season the scallops and also add your sea salt to taste.

poached scallops

reserve some orange zest then peel and cut a orange crosswise ahead of time to set under your finished scallops.  next, bring a pan of salted water to a boil while you rinse and trim the edges of your scallion.  place the scallion in the salted water to cook for 2-3 minutes.  next, remove the scallion and place your cleaned and seasoned scallops (salt and black pepper) in the simmering salted water and cook on a medium-high fire for approximately 2 minutes on each side or until firm.  be sure to avoid over cooking otherwise your scallops will not be FIYAH!  serve the scallops on top of the orange slice with orange zest and scallion.

seared scallops

cut a lime crosswise ahead of time to set under your finished scallops then cook your bacon strips.  when finished pour out most of the oil and add approximately 1 tablespoon of butter.  once the butter has melted in the pan place your cleaned and seasoned scallops (salt and black pepper) in the pan on medium-high heat to simmer on each side for approximately 90 seconds on each side, again, be sure to avoid over cooking.  before removing, rub the scallops into the glaze on the bottom of the pan (note: tongs come in very handy here).  serve the scallops on top of the lime slice with a sprinkle of lime juice,bacon and minced scallion.

serves 2 (appetizer portion)
approximate cooking time: 10 minutes

wash this tasty appetizer down with choya umeshu (pronounced wu-meh-shoo) served chilled.  you can peep a photo of the bottle in the earlier post titled "chessboxin' with scallops".  ask your girlfriends, ain't nothin' like plum wine sizzurp with hints of apricot and peach to make you drop it like its hot.