Scallops Over Pumpkin Purée & Hazel Nuts
I subscribe to the food website “foodpairing.com” that studies and publishes many collections of food combinations that pair in flavor. In the case of this recipe, they have scientifically determined that scallops, pumpkin and hazel nuts are a combination of perfect flavors.
I’ve been using pumpkin for many Mexican entrees and desserts and know that the singular flavor of pumpkin is mild and could some help in flavoring.
To flavor my purée, I selected chile, that I call a sister food to pumpkin because these ingredients are grown together in the milpa (pre-hispanic agricultural system of intercropping foods that have a beneficial eco-relationship). A typical milpa would consist of growing corn (maize), pumpkin (calabaza), beans (frijol) and chile together in the same field. I used roasted New Mexico hatch chile for it’s subtle smoky taste. Roasted poblano chile is a good substitute for this recipe.
A word about scallops. Many scallops are treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STP), a chemical that, while perfectly safe to consume inhibits the ability to achieve a proper sear. These chemically treated scallops are called wet scallops and they are nearly impossible to sear properly. Non treated scallops are called dry scallops. See the note at the bottom to obtain a full explanation of wet and dry scallops and find a sure-proof technique for searing scallops. Let’s get started.
Ingredients
Serves 2
1 small delicata pumpkin or kabocha
¼ cup peeled and roasted hazel nuts
1 roasted hatch or poblano chile pepper
½ cup cream or half & half milk.
¾ lbs dry scallops (about 6 large)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Optional – lemon zest
Prepration
Hazel Nuts
Preheat oven to 350° F. In a baking pan toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly colored and skins are blistered. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins (don’t worry about skins that don’t come off) and cool completely.
Purée of Pumpkin
Cut the pumpkin in half and remove and discard the seeds and stringy insides. Cut each half in several pieces. Place the pieces inside a steamer Add 2 -3 cups of water at the bottom of a steamer pot and bring to a boil, simmer and cook covered for about 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Once the pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and discard the peel. Puree through a food mill or use a potato masher then add sufficient cream to make it spreadable.
Crush the chile in a mortar and pestle. Add little at a time, roasted chile; into the pumpkin so as not to over power the delicate flavor of the scallops. The pumpkin can be prepared one day ahead.
Scallops
Place scallops on a layer of paper towels and season with salt on all sides. Top with more towels and thoroughly pat dry. Let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove and pat dry again. Season lightly with more salt.
Heat vegetable oil in a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet over high heat until lightly smoking. Add scallops, leaving space between each one to prevent excess steaming.
Cook scallops without moving them until well browned on first side, about 1 minute. Carefully flip scallops and cook until second side is browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer scallops to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.
Plating
Lay a large amount of pumpkin on the plate and using a spoon smear it across the plate. Place your scallops over the purée and sprinkle with crushed hazel nuts (and lemon zest). Garnish with chopped parsley and additional hazel nuts.
Notes – HOW TO SEAR SCALLOPS
In summary, buy dry scallops, salt them and place paper towels top and bottom then refrigerate for 15 minutes. The salting process extracts additional moisture from the scallops. Go to the web site Serious Eats for great instructions in cooking techniques; this is where I learned to consistently sear scallops golden in color with a crusty top..You can find the full explanation on this link-https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/the-food-lab-how-to-sear-scallops.html.
Buen Provecho
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