Heat butter and oil over medium heat until hot. Add scallops and saute 2 to 3 minutes, then add shallots and stir. Add walnuts and chives and cook 1 minute; drain off excess fat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on warm plates and garnish with lemon wedges. Serves 4 to 6.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix salt, pepper, cayenne and bread crumbs together in bowl. Beat eggs and water with fork in another bowl. Dip scallops in egg, then roll in crumbs to coat well. Put scallops in one layer in shallow casserole, close together and refrigerate 30 minutes or until coating is firm. Pour melted butter over scallops. Bake 25 minutes until scallops are rich golden and crisp. Makes 4 servings.
Fresh mushrooms, onions, green pepper, tomato or vegetables of your choicepound butter or margarine
Rinse scallops with cold water and drain. Cut bacon and selected vegetable ingredients into about 1-inch pieces (cherry tomatoes hold up better than sliced tomato portions). String scallops and vegetable sections onto skewers, alternating items equally. Melt butter in saucepan on grill. Brush filled skewers with melted butter and place on grill about 3 inches from hot coals for about 5 minutes. Turn, brush with butter and cook another 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp and scallops are golden. Serve on skewers. Serves 4.
1 cups mixed cooked seafood, such as oysters, calamari, shrimp, clams or scallops
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Fill a large saucepan full with water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and boil rapidly for 10 to 12 minutes until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, boil the 2 tablespoons of water. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender.
In a small bowl, blend 1 tablespoon of the milk with the cornstarch to make a smooth paste. Then stir in the rest of the milk. Add the mixture to the onion and garlic and stir constantly over medium heat until sauce thickens. Over medium heat, add all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine and heat through. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Toss gently to combine. Serve at once. Serves 4. Nutritional data per serving: 357 calories; 48 grams carbohydrates; 31 grams protein; 4 grams fat. Exchanges per serving; 3 very lean meat; 3 starch, milk.
The crust can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated, or it can be frozen and defrosted before use. Blend the flour, salt and butter, using a pastry blender or your fingers to make a crumbly mixture. Whisk the egg and ice water together and add to the flour mixture, blending until the pastry is smooth and holds together in a ball. Pull pieces of dough from the ball and press them evenly over the bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie plate, using the heel of your hand. Be sure the dough is not too thick around the bottom edge. Don't worry about the patching; none of it will show when baked. To prevent the crust from being soggy, brush lightly with egg white and water. Bake in 375-degree oven for about 8 minutes before filling.
Filling:
1/2 pound imported Gruyere cheese, cut into slices 1/8 inch thick
1 cup fresh crab meat, picked over to remove bits of shell and cartilage
1/2 cup cooked, shelled shrimp, cut into pieces
11/2 cups light cream
4 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Few dashes cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Adjust a rack to the lower third of the oven. Line the cooled shell with slices of cheese. Cover with the crab meat and shrimp. Thoroughly mix the cream, eggs, butter and sherry. Stir a little of this liquid into the flour to make a paste. Return the paste mixture to the cream mixture and mix well. Season with the salt, black pepper, cayenne and nutmeg and pour the mixture over the seafood. Bake about 50 minutes or until the center is set.
The quiche can be made ahead of time and partially baked. To use this method, bake the quiche for about 30 minutes until the filling is almost set. Let cool and refrigerate as long as overnight. To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and let the quiche come to room temperature. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, until the center is set. Remove from the oven and let stand for 20 minutes before serving. Yields 8 servings.
Fine dry bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese or cornmeal
1/2 cup quick-cooking tapioca
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon
4 to 41/2 ounces tiny frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
6 1/2 ounces chopped or minced clams, or 6 to 7 ounces chopped cooked fresh clams
Milk
6 eggs, separated
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup chopped green onions with tops
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Make 4-inch band of triplethickness aluminum foil long enough to go around a 2-quart souffle dish or casserole and overlap 2 inches. Lightly butter 1 side of band and dust with bread crumbs. Wrap around dish with dusted side in. Fasten with tape, paper slips or string. Collar should stand 2 inches above rim of dish. Set aside.
In large saucepan, stir together tapioca, mustard and bouillon. Drain shrimp and clams, reserving liquid. Set seafood aside. Add milk to reserved liquid to make 2 cups. Stir into tapioca mixture. Let stand 5 minutes. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and is thickened. Set aside.
In large bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar at high speed until stiff but not dry. Thoroughly blend reserved seafood, onions, lemon juice and egg yolks into tapioca mixture. Gently, but thoroughly, fold yolk mixture into whites. Carefully pour into prepared dish. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 50 to 60 minutes, until souffle is puffy and delicately browned, and shakes slightly when oven rack is gently moved back and forth. Quickly, but gently, remove collar. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
Season scallops with bronze rub. Heat olive oil over medium high heat, 350 degrees. Sear scallops for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until well browned. If you like them better cooked all they way through, lower heat to medium and cook 4 minutes on each side.
Bronze Rub:
1/2 cup toasted and ground coriander seeds
1 tablespoon ground onion or onion powder
3 tablespoons lemon pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon salt
Mix together in a food processor and use freely.
Note: The rub can be used on a variety of meats and seafood. The scallops can be served independently as an entree or on pasta or seafood.
Lime Basil Dressing:
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, packed lightly
2 limes, juice of 2 and zest of 1
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup champagne herb vinegar
1 tablespoon shallots, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
Grind basil with lime juice and zest in blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
To serve, put salad greens in six bowls. Toss the salad with the dressing so all the leaves are coated. Slice scallops in half and serve atop chilled greens which have been dressed with Lime Basil Dressing.
Drain clams and chop very fine. Add liquor and lemon juice and simmer for 3 minutes. Melt butter, add celery, green pepper and onion, and cook until tender. Add clams and cracker crumbs. Add seasonings to beaten egg and stir into clam mixture. Bake in large clam shells in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
In bowl, combine all ingredients, except salt and mix until well blended. Season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
1 tablespoon chicken-flavor instant bouillon or 3 chicken-flavor bouillon cubes
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1 bay leaf
teaspoon oregano leaves
1 pound fish fillets, fresh or frozen, thawed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
13 ounces minced or chopped clams, drained, reserving liquid
In large kettle or Dutch oven, cook onion, green pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients except fish, shrimp and clams; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add fish; cook 5 minutes. Add shrimp and clams; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque. Remove bay leaf. Refrigerate leftovers.
3 pounds (about 10 large) cherrystone clams in the shell, to yield about 1 cup drained clam meat, scrubbed
Sea salt
cup cornmeal
cup water or dry white wine
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
cup unbleached all-purpose flour
teaspoon salt
teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg
cup mild vegetable oil, such as safflower
Purge clams by putting them in large bowl or bucket of salted water, about 3 tablespoons sea salt to 1 gallon water, and stir in cornmeal. Leave clams in cool place for 1 hour. Drain and rinse. Refrigerate until just before using.
Put clams in large heavy saucepan, add water, and grind a generous amount of black pepper over them. Cover pan and bring water to boil over medium-high heat. Steam clams, removing them as they open so they don't cook. Drain clams, reusing cooking liquid.
Strain cooking liquid through cheesecloth-lined mesh strainer and set it aside. Remove clams from their shells, and discard shells. Coarsely chop clams. Sift dry ingredients together on a piece of waxed paper.
In large bowl, whisk together egg and cup of reserved clam cooking liquid until thoroughly combined. Add dry ingredients, and whisk just until they're moistened; don't overwork the mixture. Fold in clams.
Heat oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When a wisp of smoke comes off the oil, spoon batter into pan, using medium-size serving spoon. Fritters will run slightly, so leave room between them. Cook until small bubbles appear on tops of fritters and bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Quickly flip them, and cook until the other side is golden, 1 minute.
Transfer fritters to baking sheet lined with unprinted brown paper bags, and drain briefly before serving. Makes 16 fritters or 8 appetizer servings.
6 dozen littleneck clams, or 24 quahogs or chowder clams
1/2 cup cornmeal
4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 cups fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into -inch pieces, or canned diced tomatoes with juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground pepper and salt
Wash clams thoroughly under running water and soak several hours or overnight in sink full of water with cornmeal sprinkled over the top. Clams will ingest the cornmeal, which causes them to expel any sand still in their systems.
About 45 minutes before serving time, rinse soaked clams under cold running water. Put them in large Dutch oven with 4 cups fresh water. Bring water to boil over high heat, then cover and turn off heat. About 10 minutes later, remove clams from pot, reserving water in Dutch oven. Save only clams whose shells have partially opened. Remove clams from shells; chop meat coarsely into small pieces, reserving any liquid. Set aside.
Saute garlic and tomatoes in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, cook linguine in boiling water until al dente and drain. Add linguine to garlic and tomatoes, followed by 1 cup reserved clam liquid, chopped clams and basil. Cook 1 minute or just long enough to combine flavors. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at once. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
