Monday, May 15, 2017

Scallops with Capers, Lemon, and Basil

I awakened this morning with my head on my iPad, and the cord of my ear buds wrapped around my neck. That should've told me something about the day, but I got up anyway. I am very much a late night person. I do my best thinking at night. As a consequence, when I retire for the evening, I do so with a stack of books, my stitching, my iPad, various pens and papers, and a decorated steno pad that has my entire life in it.

This morning, the first thing I did after attending to my ablutions, was to strip the sheets off of the bed and put them in the washer, it is, after all, Monday. I like to get the washer going early because there's something wrong with my dryer and it takes forever to dry a simple load. (So much for the “Life’s Good” explanation of LG. Garbage is more like it, but I digress.)

As I was moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer I noticed that there was some sort of debris all over everything. I couldn't imagine what that was, until I got to the bottom of the washer. At the bottom, there was a coil. The first thing that popped into my head was that it had fallen off of the washer and, oh boy, this is going to be expensive to repair. As it turned out, when I saw my favorite pen lying next to that coil (There's nothing special about the pen, it's just my favorite, because it feels good in my hand, and I like the way the ink flows across the page.), I realized that my notepad had somehow gotten tangled up with the sheets (I guess I fell asleep with the two), and ended up in the washer. This was devastating!

All of a sudden I realized that I didn't know what I was going to do today because my “To Do” list was in that pad. I didn't know what I was going to eat today, or for that matter the rest of the week, because my menu planner was in that pad. I no longer had my grocery list (and I keep a lot of them -- Trader Joe's, Sam's, Aldi, the regular grocery store, everything!), so what was I supposed to buy at the store(s)? All at once, it was both devastating and freeing. I thought to myself, huh, I have no plans for today, I can read. Well, after I clean out the washer, and subsequently the lint trap in the dryer, because it's going to be a colossal mess. It may even mean washing everything a second time. Sigh.

It was a bit like starting anew. I could plan different errands, I could plan different meals, and I could prepare something that I hadn't thought of before. So, knowing how quickly scallops thaw in the fridge, I decided to have them.

Scallops are easy to work with, because they thaw rather quickly (as I mentioned), they cook up in a matter of minutes, and are relatively easy to gussy up with ingredients that I tend to have on hand. The following recipe was the result of all of these actions. Whew! Hope you like it!
Scallops with Capers, Lemon, and Basil

1 large Meyer lemon
1 pound large sea scallops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Pat scallops dry with paper towels.

Zest lemon, and then juice, reserving 2 tablespoons.

Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add scallops; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove scallops from pan; keep warm.

De-glaze pan with wine; add lemon juice to pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce begins to thicken. Add capers, lemon zest, and remaining 1 teaspoon butter; stir to incorporate. Stir in basil. Return scallops to pan to heat through; serve.

Makes two main dish meals or four appetizer servings.


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4 comments:

Linda said...

Oh Pattie I feel for you! I know the power of the steno pad. :)
Those scallops look perfectly seared. (Gordon Ramsey-approved.) I keep meaning to try cooking scallops. I love them when they are seared and cooked properly and have only had them in one or two restaurants that did them right. I bet I could do it!
This dish looks so good to me. How would leftovers do?

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

I really hate it when I have a day like that. I also do laundry on Monday, but this week my friend need a ride to her therapy, so I just made the bed, because I never not make it. I left the house at 12 noon and I didn't get back until 5:30 p.m. and I had done NOTHING and my schedule was all messed up. So now I have to move everything around and wouldn't you know she needs a ride on Friday and it's not around the block.

I really wish I lived next door as I would be over in a heart beat for that wonderful Scallops, oh my they look amazing and my mouth is watering. So I will just have to settle for a salmon patty with salad for dinner.

Thanks again for this recipe and have a better rest of the week.

Mary

Miz Helen said...

I can't wait to try your delicious Scallops with Capers. Thanks so much for sharing this awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back soon!
Miz Helen

Unknown said...

These look beautiful AND simple! I love that combo! Thanks for sharing with the Homestead Blog Hop!