Scallops & Polenta with Herbs

Like many types of seafood, scallops are pretty expensive, with sea scallops being larger and more expensive than bay scallops. Sea scallops are able to stand up to the hot oil and cooking process better than the small, more tender and sweeter tasting bay scallops. The cooking process is done to sear the sea scallops a bit, but without overdoing it, and the amount of ground red pepper should not leave your mouth smoking like a furnace; rather, the red pepper and the paprika should just provide a tad of seasoning, later topped by a sprinkle of fresh lemon juice. If you prefer, you can replace the red pepper with ground black pepper.

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

24 large sea scallops

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (like cayenne) to dust the scallops (or ground black pepper)

1/2 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika (smoked)

4  tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the polenta:

1 cup quick cooking polenta (also called instant)

2 1/2 cups milk

1 1/3 cup water (more if needed)

2 tablespoons butter

3  tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 heaping tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon parsley or cilantro, chopped

 

Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spread the scallops out on a plate or platter. (If the scallops are particularly moist, dab them lightly with a paper towel to remove any heavy amount of moisture). Lightly sprinkle the scallops with ground red pepper (or ground black pepper) and sweet paprika, then place the scallops in the skillet, seasoned side down. Now add the butter and let it melt as you season the top side of the scallops (you may have to do all of this in two batches). Turn the scallops over (after about 2 1/2 minutes, and they and the red pepper/paprika should be lightly browned) and cook them on the other side for about another two minutes, but allow whatever time is needed to cook the scallops through. When the scallops are cooked through, remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle on the lemon juice.

 

Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat, heat the milk and water until it just starts to boil, then stir in the polenta little by little (initially using a whisk is recommended; it will help to prevent lumps), then continue stirring (I usually change to a spoon) until the polenta is nice and thick (4 to 6 minutes?). Stir in the butter and cream, then add the thyme, sage and parsley/cilantro. Mix together well. 

To serve: add some polenta to a shallow bowl or to a plate, then top with some scallops and a little of the butter/oil from the pan, along with a little chopped parsley or cilantro. Add a lemon wedge for those who want more lemony flavor.

 

WORD HISTORY:

Scallop-This word is related to "shell," "scale" (patches of skin), "scale" (weighing device), all from Germanic, but only "shell" is an original English word from its Germanic roots, as "scale" (patches of skin) was borrowed from French, which had it from Germanic Frankish, the word "scale" meaning "weighing device" is really simply from the Old Norse form of "shell," but this specific meaning came to English from Old Norse. "Scallop" goes back to Indo European "skel," which had the notion "to cut, to split, to chip." This gave Old Germanic the root "skal/skel," with the meaning, "to split, to divide," which gave Frankish, a Germanic dialect/language, "skala," with the meaning, "husk, shell," and this was absorbed into Old French as "escale, meaning, "shell," which then produced "escalope," meaning, "the shell of a nut." English borrowed the word in the later 1300s or very early 1400s, initially as "scalop," but the second 'l' was added not long thereafter. Originally it meant "shell of the sea creature (a scallop)," but that designation quickly transferred to the sea creature itself, and thus, to the creature's interior flesh (abductor muscle). The larger shells of the scallops were used as baking dishes, and the bright colored wavy shells were also used to pattern decorative designs. These brought about the verb usage beginning in the late 1600s for the idea of "designing something to look like the curves of a scallop shell," and then a few decades later to mean "to cook in a scallop-shaped dish." English had borrowed French "escalope" (see above) circa 1500, meaning, "the edge of something shaped like a scallop shell." The French word had developed the meaning, "the way to cut veal into pieces" in circa 1690, perhaps from the idea of cutting the veal into pieces resembling scallop pieces, then later, "to cut meat or fish into thin slices," but why this meaning developed is uncertain (perhaps just a further development of cutting the meat?). "Escalope" is not a terribly common word in the United States, where you are more likely to see it on a menu in an upscale restaurant, but the average American is likely not all that familiar with the word, although they might well connect it with "scallop." How commonly it is used in England or in other English speaking countries or regions, I don't know.