Sunday, March 21, 2010

Scallops on a bed of leeks

Scallops on a bed of leeks

This dish is perfect for a "chic" diner. Scallops are a delicate ingredient which marries perfectly with leeks, which belong to the same family as onion and garlic. Leeks have a very mild taste and they are very good bones, joints, arteries and connective tissues. Make sure you include them in your diet thanks to this great recipe!

Serves 2
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: **


Ingredients:
- 8 nice and big scallops (4 per person) - Use more if your scallops are on the smaller size
- 4 leeks
- 1 + 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/3 cup (50 ml) water
- salt & pepper
- a pinch of paprika

First, wash the leeks. Make sure you do it properly since the layers might trap some dirt. Trim the leeks, keeping only the white onion base and light green stalk. The dark green portion is usually discarded since it has less flavor and can be bitter.

Chop the white base of the leeks into slices about 1 inch (1.5 cm) thick.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan. Add the leek slices and the water and let "melt" on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the water is gone.
If you see that the water evaporated but the leeks are not melted (=tender) enough, add a little bit of water and continue cooking on low heat.
Do not let the leek slices brown, they should keep their origial color!

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. Pat dry the scallops with kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper on each side.
When the frying pan is hot, add the scallops and let brown for about 2/3 minutes. Return the scallops and do the same on the other side.
**Do not overcook the scallops since they can become chewy. Be also aware of the risks of undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish and eggs consumption.**

Once the scallops are cooked as you like, lay a bed of melted leeks on a plate and place 4 scallops on top. Add a pinch of paprika on the scallops to add color. Repeat for the second plate.

If you liked this recipe, let me know!

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