Tomorrow is Friday, and I could not be more ready for the weekend! It's been an especially busy week full of crazy timelines, vendor visits, interviewing for another direct report, business dinners and wedding planning! We met with our priest who will be officiating our ceremony for the first time. I can't believe in just a little over seven months our wedding will be here! This weekend will be hectic as well. Tomorrow night is a friend's 30th birthday party and Saturday a wedding. It's officially wedding season! I finally had an evening free of commitments, so I wanted to share with you one of my favorite seafood dishes: Scallops & Grits. I've always had Shrimp & Grits, however the most amazing little breakfast spot right behind our house called Skillet had this dish on special one day, and I totally fell in love. It combines the sweet and delicate taste of the scallop with extra cheesy old fashioned grits and a kick of spice from the seasoning and hot sauce.
For this dish you will need: scallops, butter, olive oil, old fashioned grits, chicken broth, whole milk, sharp cheddar cheese, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, hot sauce and parsley.
Start with cooking your grits, because they take longer and you want to be sure your scallops are served straight off the skillet. Place your milk, chicken broth and salt in a medium sized saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Add grits and turn down heat to low. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. Once done turn off the heat and stir in your cheese, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. The cheese should become nice and melty. mmmmmm.
Scallops can be tricky, and I think this is because people over-complicate them. You will need to remove the small side muscle from the scallops and rinse with cold water. If you feel along the side of the scallop it will jet out a tiny bit and you simply pull it off. It should come easily. Season scallops with only a little salt and fresh ground pepper. Add some butter and olive oil to a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once the butter has just melted and the pan is hot, add your scallops. Be sure to keep them from touching. Sear for about 1 ½ minutes then flip and sear for another 1 ½ minutes. About a ¼" golden brown sear should form on each side.
**Note: be sure to purchase GOOD quality scallops preferably from a meat and seafood specialty store. If your scallops aren't great quality they will not form a nice sear and will taste overcooked and rubbery. Gross.**
Serve scallops over grits and top with fresh parsley and dashes of hot sauce. And there you have yourself a fancy yet fast and simple dish that's appropriate for dinner or brunch! Enjoy!
- 1 lb dry sea scallops, small side muscle removed (see directions in post)
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup old fashioned grits
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1¼ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ¼ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 1 tbsp. fresh parsley
- hot sauce
- salt to taste
- Start by making grits. In a medium sized saucepan add milk, chicken broth, and about ½ tsp. salt.
- Bring to boil and stir in grits. Turn down heat to simmer.
- Cover and cook for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.
- Once done, turn off heat and stir in cheese, chili powder, paprika, pepper and more salt if desired.
- Stir until melted and incorporated.
- Meanwhile season scallops with a little salt and pepper.
- Heat cast iron skillet over high heat and add butter and olive oil.
- Once hot add scallops but keep from touching.
- Sear for 1½ minutes per side.
- Serve hot over grits.
- Top with parsley and hot sauce.
Leave a Reply