Aug 24, 2012
These
recipes celebrate the bounty of fresh seafood from Pacific waters
available in BC right now. Visit your favorite fishmonger
today and grill some over the weekend!
Grill-Seared
Scallops with Sea Asparagus
There’s
not much that can beat the glorious flavour and meaty texture of
scallops, except scallops that are seared on a hot grill. The key
to great scallops is to let them speak for themselves, so this is a
very simple recipe. I’ve added sea asparagus, which is a great
complement if you can find it, but otherwise you can serve them
straight up.
Serves
two or three as an appetizer
Six
jumbo Alaskan Weathervane or Digby sea scallops
¼ lb sea asparagus (optional)
Kosher
salt
Olive oil
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
fresh lemon wedges
truffle oil (optional)
Preheat
your grill for direct high cooking.
While
your grill is preheating, bring some water to a boil in a saucepan.
Add the sea asparagus and cook it for a minute or two. Remove the
asparagus from the water and set it aside in a bowl.
Lightly
salt the scallops, drizzle them with a little olive oil and take
them out to the grill. Scrape the grill so the cooking grate is as
smooth and clean as possible. Place the scallops on the grill.
Cover the grill and cook them for about two minutes, turning them
about every 30 seconds, until the scallops have nice char marks and
are starting to feel firm to the touch.
Transfer
the scallops from the grill to a plate and let them rest. While the
scallops are resting, toss the sea asparagus with just a little
olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
Serve
the scallops on a bed of sea asparagus and sprinkle some chopped
parsley on top. A bit of juice will have come out of the sea
scallops while they were resting, so be sure to drizzle that over
everything. Garnish with a lemon wedge and, if you want to get
fancy, finish the scallops with just a drop or two of truffle
oil.
Grilled Pacific Snapper with Fresh Tomato Basil
Sauce
Fresh
Pacific snapper is a firm-fleshed fish that is great on the grill.
In this recipe I’ve paired it with a delicious sauce made with
fresh seasonal vegetables. It goes well with some steamed
rice and grilled asparagus.
Serves
4
4
6-oz. portions of boneless, skinless Pacific snapper fillets (you
can substitute another firm-fleshed fish like halibut)
For the balsamic
reduction
1 cup
balsamic vinegar
For the
sauce
2
Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ cup
chopped white onion
1
clove garlic, finely chopped
½
tsp. Kosher salt
½
tsp. crushed chili flakes
2
cups chopped fresh tomatoes
2
Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
For the
rub
Kosher
salt
Granulated
onion
Dried
basil
Extra
virgin olive oil
For the
garnish
Freshly chopped parsley
Lemon wedges
Pour
the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil
over medium-high heat. Cook, watching carefully, until the vinegar
has reduced to about 1/3 of its original volume (about 10-15
minutes). It should be a thick syrup that coats the back of a
spoon. Set it aside to cool. (You’ll have some left over, which is
great for drizzling on pretty much anything.)
Preheat
your grill for medium direct cooking.
While
the grill is warming up, make the sauce: Heat the oil in a
non-stick pan over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic
until they are translucent (about two or three minutes). Add the
salt, chili flakes and chopped tomatoes and sauté the mixture for
another couple of minutes, until the tomatoes are heated through.
Add the chopped basil and give the sauce a stir. Adjust the
seasonings to taste and set the sauce aside.
Sprinkle
the snapper pieces with a light coating of salt, granulated onion
and dried basil, and drizzle them with olive oil.
Scrape
the cooking grate so it’s as smooth and clean as possible. Place
the snapper on the cooking grate and cover the grill. Cook it for
about three minutes and, with a large spatula, carefully turn the
fish. Cook it for another three minutes or so, until the fish is
firm to the touch. Carefully remove it from the grill and set it
aside to rest for a minute or two.
Serve
the fish on a bed of the sauce, surrounded by a drizzle of the
balsamic reduction and topped with a sprinkle of the chopped
parsley. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.