SEARED SEA SCALLOPS
I first tried green sea beans when I was in Europe and I've liked them ever since. The beans are tender, crisp and their natural salty flavor does not require any additional seasoning. Sea beans come from the northwest and may never reach the status of a regular vegetable, but you should try them with any kind of seafood if you ever have the opportunity. They go especially well with sea scallops.
When you are picking out scallops, remember to buy “dry pack” scallops. These are not treated with any sodium triphosphates, a chemical that helps retain water in the scallop but does not help the scallop's flavor profile. Always read labels and ask for dry-pack scallops at the seafood counter.
Serves four
- 20 Dry-pack sea scallops
- ¼ Cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 Ounces green sea beans, blanched
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- ¼ Cup Italian dressing
- ½ Tbsp. Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Saffron Cream Sauce
- ½ Tbsp. chopped garlic
- ½ Tbsp. chopped shallots
- 2 Ounces sweet butter
- 6 Ounces clam juice
- 1 Pint heavy cream
- 1 tsp. saffron threads
- Salt, fresh Ground Pepper
DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the garlic and shallots and simmer for two minutes. Add the clam juice and saffron. Reduce by 80 percent over low-medium heat, then add the cream and boil down 50 percent until sauce becomes thick. Check the seasoning and keep the Saffron Cream Sauce warm on the side. It should have a nice light yellow color. Too much saffron will produce a deep yellow color and taste medicinal.
Turn your oven on and set it to 350 degrees. Cut the roma tomatoes into wedges, place in a bowl and add the Italian dressing and season with salt and pepper. Mix together. Place the tomatoes on a metal pan and place in the oven for 30 to 60 minutes. If you have a convection oven, the tomatoes will dry out quicker. You want to dry out the tomatoes by 50 percent to concentrate the sugars. Pull the tomatoes from the oven and hold on the side.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper and begin searing in a hot, non stick pan for three minutes. In the meantime, warm up the blanched sea beans with some melted butter. Place the beans and oven-dried tomatoes on a plate.
Turn the scallops and cook another three minutes. Remove the scallops from the heat and place on a paper towel. Let the scallops rest for a minute and move to a plate. Garnish the scallops with some of the oven-dried tomato, sour cream and a cured black olive. Add the scallops to the top of the sea beans and serve.
CHEF STEVE BLACK
Chef Steve Black attended Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1986. His hotel career began at the Sheraton Boston Hotel & Towers in 1984, where he developed his culinary skills working in the five restaurants and catering the private banquets. In 1990, Chef Black traveled abroad to Strasbourg, France, where he had the opportunity to work with several 5-Star Michelin Chefs.
Returning to the U.S. in 1992, Chef Black moved to San Diego and joined the culinary teams at the La Costa Resort & Spa and at the Hyatt La Jolla Aventine. In 1993 he became the Executive Chef at the Sheraton Hotel & Marina on Harbor Island. During his culinary career, Chef Black has been recognized as one of the leading chefs in San Diego. In 2002, he received the Gold Medallion Award as Chef of the Year from the California Restaurant Association. At the 2008 Gold Key Awards, he was nominated for the Food & Beverage Person of the Year by the San Diego Hotel & Motel Association. He has been awarded with “Best Recipe” from Maple Leaf Duck Farms and Contessa Shrimp.
For more than 17 years, Chef Black has catered the annual events for The Old Globe Gala, the RITZ, Jewel Ball and Patrons of The Prado. He has participated in major fundraisers for Meals on Wheels, Mama's Kitchen and the Shiley Eye Institute. During the 2007 devastating fires, he personally drove donated food from the Sheraton Hotel to the Valley Center High School to feed the many people that were displaced from their homes. Chef Black has had the opportunity to cater to celebrities such as Richard Dreyfuss, Hal Holbrook & Dixie Carter, John Kerry, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bob Dole and Mayor Jerry Sanders. In 2000, he had the privilege of meeting Julia Child as she was honored at the UCSD Cancer Center event. He's also an avid angler and you'll find him fishing the local islands as well as Mexico waters.
