Blogfinger

By Eileen Goldfinger, Food Editor  @Blogfinger

Preheat cast iron skillet on medium heat.  It needs to be very hot.

8 large sea scallops

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Salsa:

1/2 mango peeled and diced

1/4 red bell pepper, minced

1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, minced

3 scallions, minced including part of the green section

1/4 teaspoon ground garlic

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

pinch of salt and freshly grated black pepper

2 tablespoons Ponzu (or 1 tbs. orange juice and 1 tbs. soy sauce)

Mix all the salsa ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Scallops:

Sprinkle a small amount of salt, pepper and chili powder on both sides of the scallops.

Put the olive oil in the cast iron skillet and brush the oil to cover the pan surface.

Place the scallops in the pan and don’t move them until they form a brown crust on the bottoms. This should take about 3 minutes.  Turn them over and repeat the process on the other side, cook another 3 minutes.

Cut into one of the scallops, if the inside is still translucent, continue to cook scallops for another 1 or 2 minutes.

Remove scallops from  pan, plate them and dress them with the salsa.

Serves 2

Photo by Paul Goldfinger

MUSIC:  By Celia Cruz (The Queen of Salsa): “La Vida es un Carnival.” (Life is a Carnival).