Anise Scented Scallops with Pea Purée and Tomato Relish

Tender, anise scented sautéed sea scallops, floating in a sauce of creamy, herbaceous green pea purée. Quick, simple, and elegant as a starter for a special meal, or for a quick and easy mid-week dinner served with noodles, potatoes, or rice and a side salad. Enjoy!

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Anise Scented Scallops with Pea Purée
Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 main courses

Ingredients:

  • 12 sea scallops (preferably fresh or “dry” frozen, not chemically treated)

  • 2 cups frozen green peas

  • 1 shallot chopped

  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped

  • ¼ cup mixed of chopped tarragon and parsley (or just fresh chervil)

  • zest from ½ lemon finely grated

  • 1 cup of clam juice, chicken, or vegetable stock

  • ¼ cup white wine

  • 1 tablespoon Anisette, Pernod, Pastis, Absinthe, or other anise-flavored liquor.

  • 1-2 tablespoons butter

  • ¼ teaspoon white pepper

  • salt to taste

  • tomato relish for garnish (optional)

  • hot sauce (optional) 

Preparation:
Make the pea purée:

  1. In a medium saucepan, sauté the garlic and shallot over medium heat until just translucent (not browned).

  2. Add the stock and white wine and bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

  3. Add the peas, lemon zest, and white pepper and boil for a minute and remove from heat

  4. Strain the peas reserving the liquid.

  5. Using a blender or Magic Bullet, add the tarragon and parsley, half the liquid, and the pea mixture and purée until smooth. Add more reserved liquid if necessary to achieve the sauce consistency you want.

  6. Taste and adjust the salt to taste. 

Sear the scallops:

  1. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add a tablespoon of butter and swirl until melted. (I also do this outdoors over my gas grill.)

  2.  Add the scallops flat side down. Do not crowd and don’t move them for two minutes. Turn over for another 2 minutes and remove from the skillet and set aside.

  3. Add the liquor to the still-hot skillet and swirl around for a few seconds. Drizzle over the scallops. 

Assemble the plates:

  1. Divide the pea purée equally on your plates and top with the scallops.

  2. Garnish each scallop with a teaspoon of chopped fresh tomato relish dressed with a bit of white Balsamic vinegar, minced jalapeño, olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. (optional)

  3. Kick it up a notch: sprinkle a few drops of hot sauce of your choice over the pea purée. (optional)

Wine pairing: dry white wines like Chablis, Albariño, Vermentino, or a soft Sauvignon Blanc. 

Shellfish in Cajun/Creole Cream Sauce

Among the hundreds of foods available at New Orleans Jazz Fest, one of the perennial favorites is Crawfish Monica. The original Crawfish Monica recipe developed by Chef Pierre Hilzim was named after his wife Monica Davidson and is a closely guarded secret. Like many great recipes, there are many versions out there. This one posted by @ WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orleans is very good! Since it’s difficult to find crawfish up here in the north-country, I adapted the recipe to use shellfish that are more available outside of “crawfish country”. Laissez le bon temps rouler!

Serves 4
Ingredients:

Photo c. foodblogchef 2020

Photo c. foodblogchef 2020

  • 1 pound dry pasta; rotini is the traditional choice, but any pasta that will hold the delicious rich sauce will work.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 4 tablespoons butter

  • 1 pound of any combination of crawfish tails, langostinos, small shrimp, chopped lobster, or scallops

  • 1/2 pint heavy cream

  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped

  • 1 bunch of scallions, separated into the white bottom and green top parts

  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley

  • 2 tablespoons cajun/creole seasoning

  • 1/4 cayenne pepper (more to taste)

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Preparation:

  1. In a cast-iron or other shallow pan melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat.

  2. Finely chop the white parts of the scallions and garlic, then saute them for several minutes in the olive oil/butter mixture.

  3. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, and creole seasoning. Saute for about a minute to allow the seasonings to bloom.

  4. Add the heavy cream and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce reduces and thickens, 5-10 minutes.

  5. Add the shellfish to the sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes more. (Optional: add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and mix to incorporate.)

  6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain.

  7. Add the sauce and shellfish to the pasta, along with the chopped parsley and green onion tops, mix well, and serve.

Wine pairing: recommended wines to try are Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, White Burgundy, Chardonnay, Viognier, White Rhone, or a dry Riesling.

Recipe adapted from: “Crawfish Monica” posted by WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orleans
Shared by William Seibert @ shelburnefallscork1
Kajun Kettle Foods: http://www.crawfishmonica.com

Spicy Baked Cajun Shrimp

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2019

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2019

Here’s a quick sweet, tangy, spicy shrimp dish you can use as an appetizer, or as a garnish on a salad.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

    • 1/2 cup olive oil

    • 2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole seasoning

    • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

    • 1 tablespoon honey

    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

    • Pinch of cayenne pepper

    • 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, shelled, deveined

    • Lemon wedges

    • French bread

Preparation:

    1. Combine the first 7 ingredients in a 9x13-inch baking dish.

    2. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour.

    3. Line a sheet pan with tinfoil and pour on the shrimp and marinade.

    4. Bake in the oven preheated to 450 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

    5. *Alternatively, preheat your broiler, and broil the shrimp for 2 minutes and stir around; return to the broiler again for about another 2 minutes; repeat until done; monitor to check that the shrimp don’t burn; don’t over-cook.

    6. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve shrimp with French bread.

      Adapted from: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/spicy-baked-shrimp