Seared Scallops, a dinner that won't flounder

My name is Megan, and I LOVE SCALLOPS but I am afraid to cook them.  There I have admitted it. I never would have thought I would let a protein get the best of me, but I first fell in love with scallops just about 8 months ago when I had the most perfectly seared scallops at my favorite celeb chef Alex Guarnaschelli's restaurant Butter, and decided that one day I would get up the courage to make them myself.  Well this past Sunday was the day and let me tell you.  Scallops aren't scary!  So what, they are like crazy expensive and if they over cook they turn to rubber and it is money wasted.  I had to take the  bull by the horns (sorry I just can't think of a great seafood pun) and do it!

I went over to my local Whole Foods and picked out 4 fat chubby scallops and 10 perfect sized shrimp for my tex mex inspired seafood dinner:  Seared Scallops with mango jalapeno salsa and lime marinated shrimp quesadillas.  This is an easy preparation and tastes like a million bucks.

I marinated my shrimp in this kick ass lime marinade that can literally be used for anything.  I keep this stuff in a bottle in my fridge.  It is the perfect quick marinade because it has so much acidity that it will tenderize the protein with little to no time.  I am telling you, once you make this stuff it will be like crack!  It is sweet, spicy, tangy --  not only have I marinaded with it, I tossed it in with an Asian pasta salad and it was AMAZE-BALLS! Take a look below for the recipe

Lime Chili Marinade
1/2 cup of Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil

2 Tablespoons of white sugar
juice of 2 limes
zest of one lime
heaping tablespoon of minced garlic
3 large pinches of crushed red pepper flakes (I went heavy because I am a spice whore, but adjust to your taste)

Marinate the shrimp for about 5 minutes per side.  This is going to go quickly because the acid will start to cook the shrimp and we are not making ceviche we are making quesadillas.  After about 10 minutes grill your shrimp about 2 minutes per side until the marinade has caramelized and the shrimp have gone from opaque to a pretty shade of pink.

To make the quesadilla, add a pat of butter to a hot skillet and put in the tortilla.  The butter is going to give you a nice brown crust on the outside of your quesadilla.  Sprinkle with cheese of your choice -- I went with a queso fresco and a Mexican cheese blend, when the cheese has started to melt add in your grilled shrimp (chopped for a more even distribution -- I want shrimp in every bite!) and fold over until cheese has melted fully.

Now it is the moment of truth -- SCALLOPS!  My amazing boyfriend was a huge help in the preparation, he has had some professional cooking experience and is the most handsome and wonderful Sous Chef I could ask for ... with that being said, we preheated a skilled and added in our olive oil.  Now the amount of olive oil will vary depending on the pan size, so what your are looking for is enough oil that when your drop your scallops the oil comes to about 1/8 of an inch high around the scallop.  This helps create that great sear.  The important thing is to not touch the scallop.  You need be patient and let the crust form otherwise the scallop will stick and tear when your try to flip.  For our chubby scallops we gave them about 2-3 minutes per side.  The great thing is that the color of the scallop changes so you can kind of tell when it is time to turn them.
When both sides are seared to perfection, drain the excess oil on a paper towel and plate on a bed of mango jalapeno salsa.  I hope you love it.  Until next time... eat, laugh, love & enjoy!

Mango Jalapeno Salsa
2 mango's diced
1/4 of a ride onion minced
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1/4 of a jalapeno minced
pinch of salt