So I took 1 tablespoon of olive oil, drizzled in a skillet, and slowly sauteed 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Then, I added 1 and a half pounds of small sea scallops, covered the skillet, and let then simmer for a bit till cooked (they’ll be white and milk-colored, rather than opaque and raw looking).  They release a bunch of water, hence why I say “simmer.”

Next, when they’re cooked, put scallops in a collander and rinse well.  Add 1 tablespoon mayo, 4 slices of crisp-cooked bacon, 1/4 cup of red onion diced, and you’re good to go!!!

Yum!!

Related posts:

1. Grilled Watermelon, Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad
2. Lobster, Shrimp, and Scallop Scampi
3. Edamame Asparagus Salad

While it does have it’s variations from place to place, one thing remains:  it typically is shrimp broiled in garlic and butter.  A lot of the time, it’s served over pasta.  The reduction/sauce usually also contains wine, which I’ve omitted from this recipe.

So to cut corners are far as time went, I bought 1 lb. pre-cooked and shelled lobster (my favorite!), 1/2 pound of cooked shrimp (medium to large, really whatever you like), and 1/4 pound of raw sea scallops.  You can use the little ones, I just like mine jumbo!  You can also substitute fish, use other seafoods, use raw instead of cooked, etc. to suit your tastes and needs, just be careful.  This is shellfish.  Keep it in the forefront of your mind to keep the raw stuff TOTALLY separate from the cooked stuff ’till they meet in the skillet, cook the raw seafood first, and add the cooked stuff at the very end to prevent overcooking (as well as cross-contamination).

Scallops, Lobster, and Shrimp

First, I coated the bottom of a heavy-bottomed skillet with olive oil, eye it, but it was roughly 2-3 tbsp. of oil.  Turn the heat to medium, and to that, add another 1-2 tablespoons of butter (Yeah, I know, but this serves 4, so you’re not really eating 5 tbsp. of fat…and scampi’s not scampi without the butter!), 2 + cloves of chopped garlic (more or less to your taste- I used 4 or 5 cloves, ’cause I love it!).

When the butter is fully melted, add the chopped garlic.  This infuses the butter with the garlicky goodness!  When it starts to slightly bubble, add the scallops gently to the pan.  Before you add the scallops, however, you need to rinse them, paper towel them, and sea-salt-and fresh-cracked-black-pepper both sides.

Scallops in Olive oil and Butter with garlic

To that, you next add and 1/4 of a red onion, diced small, that you have prepped and waiting on the side, plus the pre-cooked (and re-rinsed and paper-toweled previous to adding to the skillet) shrimp and lobster.  In the event that the oil/butter mixture starts to reduce too much, add more drizzles of oil.  You don’t want this to cook hard, you’ll want gentle heat, so that the seafood doesn’t overcook, you don’t burn your garlic, and the liquid doesn’t reduce too much or too fast!  Your goal here is to keep the liquid part as semi-clear and pale as possible, not burnt/dark orange.  The butter will burn if too much is used, hence why the higher concentration of oil to butter.

Only keep the shrimp and lobster in long enough to warm through-basically, add to the pan, cover, and remove from the heat after a few quick stirs.  Mine looked like this:

Ready to put on the Spagetti Squash!

Next, take your spagetti squash out of the microwave (that you’ve prepared using this technique), put it in a serving dish or bowl, and top with the scampied seafood with some fresh chopped parsley, and small strips of sundried tomatoes.

Seafood Scampi

This was unbelievably delicious, with a hint of decadence, while staying true to supportive eating.  You can top with cheese, and add any other add-in’s you’d like (black olives, spinach, artichokes, etc.).  This was a HUGE hit in my house.

Don’t like seafood?  My mom didn’t, either.  You could definitely subsitute chicken or veggies here, and serve the same way!

Bon Appetit’!

(Oh, and while we’re on the subject of garlic, do you want to know my method of easily peeling the skins?  Click here to see how the leanKitchen does it!)

Related posts:

1. Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry
2. Garlic Butter Steak and Shrimp
3. Sunny Sundried Tomato Pesto

First up, I took the thawed large Sea Scallops, dried them well with a paper towel, and then seasoned them.  I like just regular old salt and pepper, but any herb or spice mix/rub will work.  I then loaded up a plate with sesame seeds, and pressed the scallops into them.  Here’s what it looks like:

Scallops rolled in sesame seeds

While I was rolling the scallops, in a frying pan I was heating up some olive oil.  Butter works a little bit better, actually, since you’re searing the scallop, if you’re concerned with aesthetics; if you let the butter brown in a pan first, it gives the scallop a nice warm brown color, if you’re eating butter in moderation.   I did about a 1/2 of a tablespoon of butter and enough oil to cover the bottom of the frying pan.  You don’t want the sesame seeds to stick to the pan.

So next, once the butter is nice and brown and the oil is hot*, PLACE scallops into the pan.  You want to sear them just long enough to toast the sesame seeds and also to give the outsides a nice brown color.  I like mine just past pink, but cooked through.  Make sure that if you are planning on literally searing (Definition: having the outsides quickly cooked [almost burned] and leaving the insides raw/cold/uncooked) the scallops, make sure you’re using sushi-grade scallops.  

Give ‘em a couple minutes per side, till they’re brown and sesame seeds are nice and toasted, and Voila!   YUM! 

Here’s what they looked like:

Pan Seared Sesame Scallops with Balsamic Swiss Chard and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

*TIP: Here’s an easy way to tell if your oil is not too hot, not too cold, but juuuuussstt right:

Carefully take a drop of water, and drop it into the oil.  Please only do this with a DROP of water, not a CUP.  That will just be bad news, trust me!!!  If it sizzles nicely, it’s ready.  If it does nothing, it’s not warm enough yet, and if it sizzles and pops and snaps hot oil in your face, well, it’s a smidge on the “too hot!” side.  But if it sizzles without popping and snapping, you’re good to go!

Related posts:

1. Lobster, Shrimp, and Scallop Scampi
2. Balsamic Sesame Swiss Chard
3. The Superintendent's Speedy Egg Scramble