Scallop Souvlaki With Fennel

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

1 tablespoon anise-flavored liqueur

24 sea scallops, tough mussels removed

Salt and fresly ground pepper

1 bulb fennel, trimmed (reserving fronds for pasta sauce)

How to cook:

Heat grill to medium-high. Mix 2 tablespoons oil with the lemon juice and liqueur in a bowl. Add scallops and toss to coat. Slide scallops horizontally onto small skewers. Season with salt and pepper.

Place skewers on grill. Grill, rotating, until scallops are golden outside and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from grill.

Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise, and slice lengthwise again into 0.5 cm. thick pieces. Toss with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, and grill, turning, until fennel just wilts and starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Serve warm. Kali oreksi!

Seafood Au Gratin

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

450 grams fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

450 grams sea scallops, rinsed and drained

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups hot chicken broth

3 tablespoons chopped shallots

1 can button mushrooms, drained

1/2 cup white wine

450 grams cooked crab meat

2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

How to cook:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter 8 small baking dishes. Heat olive oil in a skillet.  Saute shrimp and scallops about 5 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add chicken broth and raise heat to high. Stir until thickened. Mix in shallots, mushrooms and wine. Cook for 10 minutes.

Arrange shrimp, scallops and crab in the bottom of prepared dishes. Pour sauce over seafood and cover with cheese.

Bake in preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Kali oreksi!

Scallops With Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

• 450 grams sea scallops
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for the butter sauce:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into six  pieces
• 2 tablespoons shallot, diced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup finely chopped mixed fresh herbs (parsley, chives, thyme etc.)
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 lemon wedges for serving

How to cook:

Clean and wash the scallops.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the oil and butter. Pat the scallops dry once more and put them in the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until each side is browned and crisp, 4 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, transfer the scallops to a plate, and set them in a warm spot. Let the pan cool for a minute before you make the sauce.

Return the pan to medium heat. Here the butter comes! I try to use it in every food i cook, the taste is aamzing. Add a piece of the butter (1/2 tablespoon.) and the shallots and sauté until the shallots begin to soften, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by about half, another 2 minutes. Add the herbs and lemon zest. Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining butter, and whisk constantly until the butter melts into the sauce. Return the scallops and any accumulated juices to the pan. Gently roll the scallops in the sauce to warm them through. Taste for salt and pepper and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over the scallops. Kali oreksi!

Grilled Scallops

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot peeled, sliced
75 grams butter, softened
1/2 lemon, zest
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
45grams hazelnuts finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 scallops, cleaned

How to cook:

Heat a frying pan until warm, add the olive oil and shallot and fry gently until softened. 
Place the butter into a bowl and add the cooked shallot, along with all the remaining scallop ingredients, except the scallops. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
Preheat the grill. Place the scallops onto a grill tray and top each scallop with a spoonful of the hazelnut butter. Place under the grill for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the grill and set aside to rest for one minute. Kali oreksi!

Sea Food Linguine

Ingredients:

225 grams whole-wheat linguine or spaghetti

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoons chopped shallot

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

12 littleneck or small cherrystone clams, scrubbed

225 grams dry sea scallops

225 grams tilapia or other flaky white fish, strips

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How to cook:

Cook pasta inside boiling water for 8 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain but do not rinse. I never rinse. 

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and shallot and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Add clams, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in scallops, fish, and marjoram. Cover until the scallops and fish are cooked through and the clams have opened, 3 to 5 minutes more. (Do not use any clams that don't open.)

Spoon the sauce and clams over the pasta and sprinkle with additional marjoram and Parmesan.