M's Favorite Recipe (So Far): Pan-Grilled Sea Scallops
As I alluded to recently, M's favorite recipe is the Pan-grilled Sea Scallops from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer. I mark recipes I've made with post-it notes, and the post-it note for this recipe says "OMG! Sauce is so good!" This is one of the few recipes that M ever requests when I ask what she wants for dinner.
Pan-Grilled Sea Scallops
1 pound large sea scallops (usually 12-15)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 pound baby spinach leaves - note, I usually double this because the spinach wilts down quite a bit
1 tablespoon Kolhapuri masala (see separate recipe below)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1. Combine scallops with tumeric in a medium-sized bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.
2. Food process the peanuts until they have the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallops and any remaining marinade in a single layer. Sear both sides of the scallops, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
4. Sautee garlic in the same skillet until light brown, about a minute. Pile in the spinach, cover the skillet and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the masala and salt.
5. Add the scallops back into the pan and cover them with the wilted spinach. Cover and cook without stirring until the scallops are firm but not rubbery, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Transfer the scallops back to the plate. Add peanuts to the spinach and stir to combine. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peanuts start to absorb extra liquid and sauce thickens, about 2 to 4 minutes.
7. Pour the spinach-peanut mix over the scallops and serve.
There are exactly two scallop recipes in the entire cookbook, of which this is by far the best. This recipe has some similarities to both the Curry Scallops & Cilantro Rice and this Spinach and Scallop recipes I posted years ago, neither of which ever gets made now that I have this one, which is far tastier. I typically serve it over rice so that it can absorb the sauce. Since scallops are expensive, M has suggested making it with chicken, and the cookbook suggests shrimp as an option as well. I'm sure both would work, as the peanut sauce is the real champion here.
Unsurprisingly for an Indian cookbook, there is an entire section of spice mixes and blends. I don't often delve into recipes that require the spice blends, but for some reason that I do not recall I decided that this recipe looked good enough to make the Kolhapuri Masala blend (aka, the Red-Hot chile and Coconut blend). I've only made the spice blend twice because it makes quite a bit relative to the needs of the scallops recipe. I suspect you could probably find the blend online as well, or perhaps at an Indian grocery.
Kolhapuri Masala
1 cup dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed
1/2 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
4 blades mace OR 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 tablespoons groud Kashmiri chiles OR 1/2 tablespoon cayenne + 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1. Combine all the ingredients except the ground Kashmiri chiles (and the ground mace, if using) and stir to coat with oil.
2. Pre-heat medium skillet to medium heat. Pour the oiled spice into the skill and roast while stirring constantly until the whole chiles blacken slightly, the coconut turns dark brown and the whole spices turn reddish brown, about 3-4 minutes. You'll want the fan on for this.
3. Transfer the spices to a plate immediately and allow them to rest until they are cool to the touch. Grind them in a spice grinder until the texture is similar to ground black pepper. Stir in the Kashmiri chilies (and ground mace, if using). The resulting blend should be a deep red color.
4. Store in a tightly sealed jar. The recipe says it will last for two months, but my batch is fine after several years.
Other recipes that M asks for include Crock Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken, which I made for the first time shortly before I met her, and the Ethiopian Chicken-Spiced Stew, which I made for her on an early date.
Pan-Grilled Sea Scallops
1 pound large sea scallops (usually 12-15)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 pound baby spinach leaves - note, I usually double this because the spinach wilts down quite a bit
1 tablespoon Kolhapuri masala (see separate recipe below)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1. Combine scallops with tumeric in a medium-sized bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.
2. Food process the peanuts until they have the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallops and any remaining marinade in a single layer. Sear both sides of the scallops, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
4. Sautee garlic in the same skillet until light brown, about a minute. Pile in the spinach, cover the skillet and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the masala and salt.
5. Add the scallops back into the pan and cover them with the wilted spinach. Cover and cook without stirring until the scallops are firm but not rubbery, about 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Transfer the scallops back to the plate. Add peanuts to the spinach and stir to combine. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peanuts start to absorb extra liquid and sauce thickens, about 2 to 4 minutes.
7. Pour the spinach-peanut mix over the scallops and serve.
There are exactly two scallop recipes in the entire cookbook, of which this is by far the best. This recipe has some similarities to both the Curry Scallops & Cilantro Rice and this Spinach and Scallop recipes I posted years ago, neither of which ever gets made now that I have this one, which is far tastier. I typically serve it over rice so that it can absorb the sauce. Since scallops are expensive, M has suggested making it with chicken, and the cookbook suggests shrimp as an option as well. I'm sure both would work, as the peanut sauce is the real champion here.
Unsurprisingly for an Indian cookbook, there is an entire section of spice mixes and blends. I don't often delve into recipes that require the spice blends, but for some reason that I do not recall I decided that this recipe looked good enough to make the Kolhapuri Masala blend (aka, the Red-Hot chile and Coconut blend). I've only made the spice blend twice because it makes quite a bit relative to the needs of the scallops recipe. I suspect you could probably find the blend online as well, or perhaps at an Indian grocery.
Kolhapuri Masala
1 cup dried red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed
1/2 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
4 blades mace OR 1/4 teaspoon ground mace
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon canola oil
2 tablespoons groud Kashmiri chiles OR 1/2 tablespoon cayenne + 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1. Combine all the ingredients except the ground Kashmiri chiles (and the ground mace, if using) and stir to coat with oil.
2. Pre-heat medium skillet to medium heat. Pour the oiled spice into the skill and roast while stirring constantly until the whole chiles blacken slightly, the coconut turns dark brown and the whole spices turn reddish brown, about 3-4 minutes. You'll want the fan on for this.
3. Transfer the spices to a plate immediately and allow them to rest until they are cool to the touch. Grind them in a spice grinder until the texture is similar to ground black pepper. Stir in the Kashmiri chilies (and ground mace, if using). The resulting blend should be a deep red color.
4. Store in a tightly sealed jar. The recipe says it will last for two months, but my batch is fine after several years.
Other recipes that M asks for include Crock Pot Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken, which I made for the first time shortly before I met her, and the Ethiopian Chicken-Spiced Stew, which I made for her on an early date.