Description
Dry sea scallops seasoned with kosher salt, grilled over high heat until well marked, and brushed with a grapefruit and fennel frond vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry sea scallops (about 1 1/2 ounces each), side tendons removed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Grapefruit Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced fennel fronds (or parsley or fresh thyme)
Instructions
- Prepare the grill: Preheat the grill on high for 15 minutes. Brush the grate clean, then wipe it with a folded paper towel dipped in vegetable oil (held with tongs).
- Prepare the scallops: While the grill heats, set the scallops on paper towels, top with more paper towels, and press gently to dry. Sprinkle with the salt.
- Make the vinaigrette: Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients in a medium bowl until emulsified.
- Grill: Grill the scallops over direct high heat until they have good grill marks, about 3 minutes. Flip, and grill until the sides just look cooked but the centers are still rare, about 3 minutes more. Brush both sides with vinaigrette, and take them off the grill.
- Serve: Brush with vinaigrette one more time, and serve.
Notes
Equipment: A grill (I use a Weber Summit).
Buy dry scallops. They have a subtle range of color, from parchment white to very light pink. Wet scallops are all the same milky white - they're soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP), a preservative that makes them hold water, so they taste waterlogged and don't brown.
Pull the small side tendon off each scallop before cooking.
I had a fennel bulb on hand, so the fronds went in the vinaigrette and thin-sliced grilled fennel was our side dish.
See my Vinaigrette Basic Technique. For more grilled seafood, try my Grilled Salmon with Coriander Fennel Spice Rub or Grilled Trout.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes