Am I Being Shellfish?
Writing this blog post, let alone actually cooking and experimenting with this recipe comes as a shock to me, and probably to those who know me well enough. Growing up, I had a strong aversion to seafood. Perhaps it was the smell when going to the fish mongers in my hometown of Flushing, New York. It could also have been the type of fish I grew up eating (catfish). Moving on, it wasn't even 5-6 years of living in Boston that could turn my tastebuds. With the rich New England seafood scene (clam chowder, lobsters, clam bakes, etc.), it took me a while to actually start enjoying seafood. The major turning point was probably about 2 years ago, when I tried out a new restaurant, Little Donkey. Little Donkey comes to us from the minds behind Toro, a tapas place in South End (which I still have yet to make my way to, btw). Little Donkey is Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette's take on more of an international tapas with an eclectic menu. When asked how they would describe the restaurant, they mentioned they wanted to serve food that they would serve to their friends when entertaining. Funnily enough, their brunch menu has Cap'n Crunch with freeze dried berries. I've come to Little Donkey a few times by now, but my first or second time there, I was introduced to their halibut biryani. A bit hesitant at first, but seeing the word biryani just drew me in, and no I did not get paid to advertise for Little Donkey on this blog post. The rice was perfect, with grains separated from each other, the fish so tender, and the accompanying pickled carrots had me coming back for more. After this exposure to seafood, I was hooked. I've worked with salmon and shrimp over the past few months, however, I wanted to challenge myself with cooking scallops for the first time. In this post, I'm sharing my recipe for scallops in a coconut-milk based curry.
Ingredients:
-1/2 lb. of scallops (10-12 scallops)
-1/2 tsp. of cumin seeds
-1/2 tsp. of mustard seeds
-1 dry red chili, broken in half
-1/2 of a bay leaf
-5-6 curry leaves
-1/2 tsp. cumin powder
-1/2 tsp. coriander powder
-1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
-1/2 tsp. red chili powder
-A pinch of nutmeg
-1/2 large onion (diced)
-2 green chilis, chopped
-1/2 cup of shredded coconut
-1/2 tbsp. of ginger paste
-1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
-2 tbsp. of your preferred cooking oil
-1.5 tbsp of butter
-Salt to taste (add bits of salt in intervals as it seasons the food along the way)
-Cracked black pepper (as needed)
Preparation:
Ingredients:
-1/2 lb. of scallops (10-12 scallops)
-1/2 tsp. of cumin seeds
-1/2 tsp. of mustard seeds
-1 dry red chili, broken in half
-1/2 of a bay leaf
-5-6 curry leaves
-1/2 tsp. cumin powder
-1/2 tsp. coriander powder
-1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
-1/2 tsp. red chili powder
-A pinch of nutmeg
-1/2 large onion (diced)
-2 green chilis, chopped
-1/2 cup of shredded coconut
-1/2 tbsp. of ginger paste
-1 14 oz. can of coconut milk
-2 tbsp. of your preferred cooking oil
-1.5 tbsp of butter
-Salt to taste (add bits of salt in intervals as it seasons the food along the way)
-Cracked black pepper (as needed)
Preparation:
-Set your stove on medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp. of oil in a deep frying pan.
-Once the oil is hot, add the following whole spices: cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chili and sauté till the aromatics have infused in the oil.
-Reduce your heat to a medium and add your ginger paste and green chilis and stir for 1-2 minutes. You may drop this to 1 green chili if you don't want it as spicy.
-Add the onions and sauté till translucent.
-Reduce your flame to a low-medium and add the coconut flakes and slowly sauté them.
-Once you have a light brown on the coconut flakes, add your powdered spices.
-Bring the flame back up to a medium while stirring in your powdered spices.
-Once the mixture starts releasing its own oils, add the coconut milk and stir together.
-Reduce the flame and simmer for 5 minutes.
-Finish of with a pinch of nutmeg.
-Transfer the contents of the pan into a blender, purée, and set aside.
-In the same pan, melt down your butter and bay leaf and set it to medium-high heat.
-Pat the scallops dry on a paper towel and season lightly with salt and cracked black pepper.
-Cook the scallops for about 2 minutes on one side (or until it can release from the pan on its own).
-Flip over the scallops and immediately add your puréed gravy.
-Bring it to a low-medium flame and cover the pan. Let this simmer for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame. You can discard the bay leaf at this point.
-Serve immediately with some jasmine rice.
-Once the oil is hot, add the following whole spices: cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chili and sauté till the aromatics have infused in the oil.
-Reduce your heat to a medium and add your ginger paste and green chilis and stir for 1-2 minutes. You may drop this to 1 green chili if you don't want it as spicy.
-Add the onions and sauté till translucent.
-Reduce your flame to a low-medium and add the coconut flakes and slowly sauté them.
-Once you have a light brown on the coconut flakes, add your powdered spices.
-Bring the flame back up to a medium while stirring in your powdered spices.
-Once the mixture starts releasing its own oils, add the coconut milk and stir together.
-Reduce the flame and simmer for 5 minutes.
-Finish of with a pinch of nutmeg.
-Transfer the contents of the pan into a blender, purée, and set aside.
-In the same pan, melt down your butter and bay leaf and set it to medium-high heat.
-Pat the scallops dry on a paper towel and season lightly with salt and cracked black pepper.
-Cook the scallops for about 2 minutes on one side (or until it can release from the pan on its own).
-Flip over the scallops and immediately add your puréed gravy.
-Bring it to a low-medium flame and cover the pan. Let this simmer for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame. You can discard the bay leaf at this point.
-Serve immediately with some jasmine rice.
Notes:
*Scallops typically need 2-3 minutes per side, and can get rubbery if cooked longer.
Optional:
-This can be paired with a sauvignon blanc or rosé wine. For beer lovers, this goes well with a pilsner style beer.
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