It’s no secret that I prefer to stay home in the evenings. Cooking with my family or for friends is a big part of our leisure hours. Finding new recipes and trying them out is something I enjoy doing. And I do it often! I believe making great food at home doesn’t have to be hard, time-consuming, or require fancy ingredients.
When my parents last came to visit, I searched for a scallop recipe to prepare for them. My mom likes scallops and often orders them when she goes out to dinner. Recipes like this one are the exact reason I started writing this blog. I was confident that everyone, especially my mom, would enjoy this preparation of scallops and we would all enjoy the more relaxed atmosphere of being at home. The scallops were superb, proving once again, that you don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant to enjoy delicious food! And even better, the recipe used common ingredients, was simple to put together, and didn’t take a lot of time!
Balsamic Scallops
Balsamic Scallops (adapted from bhg.com)
Makes: 4 servings, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Marinate time: 2 hours, Grill Time: 6 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound sea scallops
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, snipped
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, snipped
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups baby arugula
Directions:
Thaw the scallops, if they were frozen. Rinse them and pat them dry with paper towels. Put together the marinade. In a small bowl, stir together the oil, mint, parsley, 2 tablespoons vinegar, cheese, lemon zest, and garlic.
Combine the marinade ingredients.
Place the scallops in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the scallops. Seal the bag and turn it over to coat the scallops. Place the marinating scallops in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, turning the bag once or twice.
Marinate the scallops.
Drain the scallops, discarding the marinade. Thread each scallop onto a 6-inch skewer. (Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading the scallops onto them.)
Grill the scallops on the greased rack of a covered grill directly over medium-hot heat flames for 6 to 8 minutes or until the scallops are opaque. Turn them once halfway through the grilling time.
Grill the scallops.
Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan bring the 1/2 cup vinegar to boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer the vinegar, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes or until it is is reduced by half.
Serve the scallops on the arugula. Drizzle the vinegar reduction over them.
Delicious!
Cooking at home for family & friends is a pleasure! ~Linda
Balsamic Scallops (adapted from bhg.com)
Makes: 4 servings, Prep Time: 20 minutes, Marinate time: 2 hours, Grill Time: 6 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 (1#) sea scallops
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons \ fresh mint, snipped
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, snipped
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups baby arugula
Directions:
Thaw the scallops, if they were frozen. Rinse them and pat them dry with paper towels. Put together the marinade. In a small bowl, stir together the oil, mint, parsley, 2 tablespoons vinegar, cheese, lemon zest, and garlic. Place the scallops in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the scallops. Seal the bag and turn it over to coat the scallops. Place the marinating scallops in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, turning the bag once or twice.
Drain the scallops, discarding the marinade. Thread each scallop onto a 6-inch skewer. (Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before threading the scallops onto them.)
Grill the scallops on the greased rack of a covered grill directly over medium-hot heat flames for 6 to 8 minutes or until the scallops are opaque. Turn them once halfway through the grilling time.
Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan bring the 1/2 cup vinegar to boiling. Reduce the heat and simmer the vinegar, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes or until it is is reduced by half.
Serve the scallops on the arugula. Drizzle the vinegar reduction over them.