I was on my way to pick up steaks for dinner when I spied beautiful bay scallops in the fish market in Whole Foods. What happened? I forgot all about the steaks. Before I knew it, I was telling the fishmonger to bag me up a pound of those luscious fruits de mer.
(READ MORE: Pricey scallops worth an occasional indulgence)
Mixing them into a simple gratin seemed like just the thing to do with them for our dinner on a nice autumn evening. Most gratins are simple, but when all the ingredients work together, they have a complexity of flavors. You don't want to cover up the flavor of the sweet scallops, so all that this gratin needed was some garlic, a few scallions and a little hot pepper to season them. The other main ingredients are soft breadcrumbs to soak up the juice the scallops inevitably shed and a few buttered dry crumbs to give the top a little crunch. All these things I knew I had in my kitchen at home.
What could possibly go wrong? Well. It wasn't exactly wrong, but I used a large clove of garlic, and that turned out to be far too much. Just as Goliath discovered when he met up with David, little things can pack a big wallop.
(READ MORE: What is the proper way to store garlic?)
The scallops were still quite nice, but they could've been better than nice if I'd been paying more attention to the pungent fragrance that one clove of garlic was emitting. Lesson learned: More isn't always better.
We're often reminded of the joys of cooking with abandon, and there's something going for that carefree cooking attitude, but we're not reminded often enough that there is also joy -- and wisdom -- in holding back.
(READ MORE: Southern Living to the rescue with precise recipe for buttermilk biscuits)
Bay Scallops Gratinée
3 scallions or small green onions
1 pound fresh scallops
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small clove garlic, lightly crushed, peeled, and minced
Crushed hot pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons finely crumbled soft breadcrumbs (crusts removed)
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
Wash the scallions, and pat them dry. Trim away the root and any discolored leaves, and thinly slice them, separating the white and green parts. Pat the scallops dry with paper towels. Generously butter two (8-inch) individual gratin dishes.
Put 2 tablespoons of butter, the white parts of the scallions and the garlic in a heavy-bottomed 9- to 10-inch seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the scallions and garlic are sizzling, add a pinch of hot pepper flakes, stir and add the scallops. Raise the heat to medium-high, and toss until the scallops are opaque but not cooked through, about a minute.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the scallion greens, soft breadcrumbs and 1 more tablespoon of butter, then taste and season with salt and black pepper or more hot pepper flakes as needed. Divide the scallops between the prepared gratin dishes.
Wipe out the pan, and add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Melt it over medium heat, add the dry crumbs and stir until they're evenly coated and warmed. Remove the pan from the heat.
Position a rack 6-8 inches below the heat source and preheat the broiler. When you're ready to serve the scallops, sprinkle the buttered crumbs evenly over each dish and broil until the scallops are just cooked through and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
LEFTOVER SCALLIONS?
It never fails. I need scallions or green onions and end up using a couple, then the rest sit in the refrigerator until they're limp and useless. What a waste! So I saw this tip on Facebook and had to try it.
Use a leftover plastic bottle, the sturdier the better. Go ahead and cut the green onions, then put them in the bottle. This take a little time because the bottle opening isn't that big. But be patient. You will be rewarded.
Put the cap on the bottle, and place it in the freezer. Whenever you need chopped green onions, you have them at the ready.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com or annebraly.com.