Blackened Sea Scallops with Green Onion Vinaigrette and Roasted Tomato Relish

PUBLISHED ON: 02.25.2012

I am not a big seafood fan (sigh).  I was forty before I decided that sea scallops were delicious.  How can a girl like me who thinks about food 24/7, not enjoy seafood?  Should I admit that I was born and raised in South Florida, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and would not touch the abundance of fresh seafood?  I should not admit it, but it’s the truth.  Since I am baring my food soul should I admit that I could eat tuna (from the can) salad sandwiches with wild abandon?   It’s a sad state of affairs for a food lover.

These days,  I do make an effort to continue to re-discover seafood as the opportunity presents itself.  One of my favorites is scallops.  This dish prepared by my husband is a meaty sea scallop dish, blackened in a spice mixture and then seared in a smoking cast-iron pan.  Served up with a simple vinaigrette of green onions and a smoky tomato relish provides a fresh vibrancy to the dish.

The ingredient list is long but it is really an uncomplicated dish to prepare, so worth the effort.

The sea scallops cook quickly in the smoking hot cast iron pan searing the flavor mixture.  Remember when blackening meat was all the craze?
The finished scallop dish is a celebration of flavors.
Blackened Sea Scallops with Green Onion Vinaigrette and Roasted Tomato Relish
Serves 4
Recipe from Bobby Flay’s  Bar Americain

Roasted Tomato Relish
4 ripe plum tomatoes, roasted halved, seeded, and diced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions, green part only, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
To Roast Tomatoes:
Preheat the broiler or heat a grill pan over high heat.  Brush tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper.  Broil and grill, turning a few times, until entire surfaced is blackened, about 5 minutes.  Remove let cool slightly.  Slice in half, remove the seeds, and dice.
Sea Scallops
3 tablespoons smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ground ancho chile
1 tablespoon ground pasilla chile
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
20- U-10 sea scallops, muscles removed
1/4 cup canola oil
Kosher salt
Green onion vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Green Onion Vinaigrette (makes about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup white wine
1 small shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon honey
6 green onions, green part only, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions Green Onion Vinaigrette
Combine the vinegar, 1/4 cup water, the shallot, mayonnaise, and honey in a blender and blend until combined.  Add the green onions and blend until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  The vinaigrette can be prepared 4 hours in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Directions:
1.  To make the tomato relish, put the tomatoes, red onion, green onions, vinegar, and olive oil in a medium bowl and mix gently to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.
2.  To cook the sea scallops, combine the paprika, ancho, and pasilla powders, white and black pepper, thyme, oregano, onion and garlic powders, and celery salt in a medium shallow bowl.
3.  Heat a large cast-iron pan over high heat until it begins to smoke.  Brush the scallops on both sides with oil and season with salt.  Dredge one side of each scallop in the spice rub and put the scallops in the pan spice side down.  Cook until browned and a crust has formed, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.  Turn the scallops over and continue to cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
4.  Divide the scallops among 4 large dinner plates, top each scallop with some of the tomato relish. drizzle with vinaigrette, and sprinkle some green onion on top.

Enjoy!

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