Grilled Scallops and Nectarines with Jersey Corn and Tomato Salad
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: scallops
Servings: 4- 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Salad Dressing:
3tablespoonsfresh lime juice
1½teaspoonslime peel finely grated
⅛teaspoonchili powder
3tablespoonsolive oilextra virgin
sea saltto taste
For the Basil Puree
¾cupfresh basil leavesloosely packed
¼cupolive oilextra virgin
sea saltto taste
black pepperfreshly ground, to taste
For the Salad
24sea scallopsside muscle removed and patted dry -- (If you can't find day boat, diver or dry scallops, opt for frozen)
3ripenectarines or peaches, cut into 6 wedges
olive oil for brushing on scallops and nectarines while grilling
1½cupsfresh corn kernels corn.cut from 2 large ears of fresh
24grape tomatoes cut in half
⅓cupbasil leavesthinly sliced, for garnish
salt & freshly ground black pepperto taste
Instructions
How to Prepare Dressing
Whisk together the lime juice, lime peel, and chilly powder in a small bowl. When combined, slowly add the oil while whisking quickly.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
How to Prepare Basil Puree
Start by blanching the basil leaves in a small pot of boiling water salted for just 30 seconds. Drain in a colander and squeeze as much water as possible from the basil.
Coarsely chop up the basil. The article suggests using a blender to puree the basil with oil, but the blender we had available at the beach house we were renting didn't do an excellent job. If you have a mini food processor, try that. If not, I would chop the basil up fine by hand and then whisk it with the oil.
Season with some sea salt.
How to Prepare the Salad
Get your grill to medium-high heat. It can take 10 to 15 minutes to get the grate hot using a gas grill. A big mistake lots of home cooks make is they turn the gill on, wait a couple of minutes, and start grilling. Always preheat the grill as you preheat your oven before baking or roasting.
Brush olive oil on the scallops and nectarines and season with salt and pepper.
Grill the scallops until they are slightly grilled and cooked through. The article says this takes about 2 minutes per side, but everyone's grill is different and takes a little longer.
Be sure the scallops are completely dry, or they will steam and not give you the charring. I think this is one of my many mistakes with this dish.
Grill the nectarine sections until slightly charred. Again, depending on your grill, this could take 1½ to 3 minutes per side. Remove and reserve the scallops and peaches until ready to plate.
Plating the Scallops:
If serving 6, arrange four scallops on six plates. Just before serving, toss two tablespoons of dressing in the corn and one tablespoon of dressing with the tomatoes—season both with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon a little corn around the scallops and "scatter" the tomatoes over the corn. Tastefully arrange the nectarine slices on the plate and drizzle a little dressing over the scallops.
Finish the plate with a little basil puree & sea salt over the corn and tomatoes.
Notes
Both the Dressing and the Basil can be prepared 1 day ahead of when you are going to make this recipe but be sure to remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using.