Scallops with Grapefruit, Bacon and Chimichurri
Not only is the recipe the perfect date night go-to, but because it takes under 30 minutes to prepare, it's ideal for weeknights, too!
Ingredients
For the Scallops and Salad
- 4 slices Bacon Any kind will do.
- 1 Grapefruit We will be segmenting it later on.
- 2 cups Arugula
- 1 Watermelon Radish If you can't find Watermelon radishes, any kind of radish will suffice! If you're using Red Radishes, you'll want to use at least 2-3.
- 1 Small Shallot Minced
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 6 U-10 Scallops Side muscle removed.
- 1/2 cup Yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 tsp Salt Plus more to taste.
- 1/2 tsp pepper Plus more to taste.
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Micro-Greens Optional. I find my Micro-Greens at the Farmers Market and Whole Foods
Chimichurri
- 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup Parsley
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 Fresno Pepper Stemmed and Seeded. If you can't find Fresno Chiles, 1/2 tsp of Red Pepper Flakes will suffice.
- 1 tbsp Agave
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp Salt Add more, as needed.
Instructions
Make the Chimichurri
- Before Making the Chimichurri, preheat the oven to 425F and place your Bacon on a Parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until crisp, cool and then crumble and set aside in a small bowl.
- Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend for one minute. Season with salt to taste and set aside. Alternatively, finely mince Fresno Chile, Garlic and herbs and add to a medium size bowl with remaining ingredients. Whisk until combined well.
Prepare the Salad
- Begin by segmenting the grapefruit. Trim the top 1/4 inch and bottom 1/4 inch of the Grapefruit to create a flat surface.
- With one of the flat sides down on a cutting board, start at the top of the grapefruit with your knife. Cut the peel/pith off from top to bottom, following the natural curve of the grapefruit.
- When the peel/pitch has been removed, stand the grapefruit up on a flat surface again. Following the natural line segments of the Grapefruit, cut it in half. Now, you can cut the grapefruit into segments by following the natural lines. Remove any seeds and set segmented Grapefruit pieces aside in a small bowl.
- Using a Microplane (or a sharp knife), slice the Radish into thin rounds. Cut your radish pieces, leaving some in halves and some in quarters pieces. Set aside in a small bowl.
- Divide Arugula evenly between plates and top with Radish, Grapefruit and Shallots. Top with remaining 1/2 tsp Lemon juice and a piece of Salt and Pepper.
Searing the Scallops
- In a medium bowl, combine Cornmeal, Salt and Pepper. One at a time, coat Scallops in Cornmeal mixture and put onto a clean plate.
- Heat medium cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add Olive Oil. When hot enough (skillet will put off a touch of smoke), add Scallops to pan and sear for 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and plate beside the salad. Drizzle with Chimichurri, top with Bacon bits, finish with Micro-greens (optional) and serve!
- *If you're going to Sous Vide your Scallops, set your Precision Cooker (I use Anova Culinary's model- with bluetooth and Wifi) to 123.8F. Salt and pepper Scallops and place into a vacuum seal or ziplock bag and seal with vacuum sealer or by using the immersion method. Set the timer for 30 minutes. Remove bag from water, Remove Scallops from bag and pat dry. Then, add to cornmeal mixture and sear.
