Scallops Provencal

After making my Traditional Osso Bucco again, I realized that I needed to venture into something new, and give up the meat- just this once.

After a nice dinner with a few Pikes in the city, I was inspired to try something new- especially after Dorian ordered his scallops!

So scallops it is!

I made Scallops Provencal- an Ina Garten dish (so I knew it would be good and fattening, just like her)

Recipe follows:

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• 1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 lemon, cut in 1/2

If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

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Who knew making something that sounds so complicated could be so simple? Pretty easy huh?

This dish is meant to serve 3 and has around 350 calories for each serving- not bad huh?

I cut my portions so that it ended up being 4 meals and served it with some crimini mushroom quinoa to add a little more protein and sustenance. I also used bay scallops (they're cheaper and helped me control my portions better)

So yes, this does have butter and thus is fattening, but its deliciously filling! Hey at least I added some color to make it prettier?

So yes, this isn't exactly for the health conscious, but I would say with 350 calories per serving, it isn't entirely bad. You can even substitute EVOO for the butter (it course, wouldn't taste as good)

This is a great dish to welcome the spring- each morsel is light but perfectly decadent at the same time. It's also something you can make very quickly if you don't have time after work but you're craving something delicious! Plus it saves you a ton of money if you're thinking about going out to a restaurant to get scallops to begin with!

So as my coworkers were ordering their chicken fingers from the cafe, I was eating my scalllops provencal with crimini mushroom quinoa, at half the price.

I'd say it was a job well done.

Taste: A

Time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy