Giangi's Kitchen

Seared sea scallops with garlic, sun dried tomatoes and olive compote.

While Labor Day was upon us way too fast, it seems like I am not ready to let go of summer yet, or say goodbye to pool days, breezy summer dresses and lazy vacations. I still want to linger a little bit longer on the wonderful vacation we took this summer. Not only we visited new places and had great adventures, but we also enjoyed great food and new flavors. Those new flavors are exciting to explore and love to share them all with all of you.

Kalamata olives, garlics, lots of it, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, and balsamic vinegar are the perfect pairing for this dish. All complement each other and each keep his flavor. A delight for  your palate.

In addition, another great use for the compote is over toasted bread for a quick bruschetta.  Drizzled with some olive oil at the last minute all over it to.

I place the sea scallops in a circular pattern and leaving the middle empty as a result this will cook all the scallops evenly.

We enjoyed those succulent sea scallops over a bed of Angel hair pasta.

Bon Appetit!!

Giangi

SEARED SEA SCALLOPS WITH GARLIC, SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND OLIVE COMPOTE

16 roasted garlic cloves marinated in olive oil
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped coarsely
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 large sea scallops – 1 pound – side muscle removed
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat leaves parsley

In a medium size bowl add the roasted garlic, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, shallot basil and balsamic vinegar. Mix all the ingredients gently to not break the tender garlic.
Season with salt and pepper.

Allow all the ingredients to meld together for at least 15 minutes before serving.  (Can be refrigerated for a couple of days, bring to room temperature before serving)

Pat the scallops dry and season them well with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.

Add the scallops to the pan placing them in a circular clockwise format leaving the center empty. Cook without moving them for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn them over with thongs and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the scallops to cook in the pan for another minute.

Add additional olive oil to the compote if it looks dry. Spoon some of the compote on each plate. Arrange the seared scallops on top and sprinkle with the parsley.