After buying a whole bag of scallops during our trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, we had more than we could consume in one meal, so I decided to try something new: Scallops With Tortilla Crust. The delicious aroma of this dish had me craving for more even after the last bite.
When my 2 daughters were younger, I made a much more basic version of this dish. We stocked up on massive scallops during our camping trip to Cape Cod. I put the Pringles as a crust on the scallops because we didn’t have much else to season them with, and we had a fairly basic torn lettuce salad on the side. Meals were prepared and served from a mess kit.
When we go camping, we go to town for the cuisine.
High-quality scallops are essential for this recipe, which I have made many times with varying degrees of success over the years. Make sure the items you buy frozen have only been flash-frozen once. A slightly pink hue and a pleasant aroma are indicators of freshness. Finding fresh scallops and tropical fruit for the salsa makes the rest of the process simple.
I opted for a corn tortilla crust to complement the tropical fruit salsa I served with my scallops in Hawaii. With the sweet and luscious salsa, the saltiness and crunchiness of the crushed tortilla chips really shine.
These were prepared in Hawaii, but the recipe is universal.
Ingredients:
For the Salsa:
- 1/3 cup of papaya(chopped)
- 1/3 cup of pineapple (chopped)
- 1 tbsp. of roasted jalapeno (chopped)
- 1 tsp. of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. of fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp. of scallion (chopped)
- salt and pepper
For the Scallops:
- a small handful of tortilla chips
- 8 pcs. of large sea scallops
- 1 small egg
- 1 tbsp. of olive oil
Instructions:
- Put together all the components for the salsa and set them aside. Adapt the amounts to your needs.
- Make a coarse meal from the tortilla chips by pulverizing them in a blender or food processor. You can also use the back of a spoon to smash them by hand. About a quarter cup should be the final result. Place on a broad, level platter. You should clean your scallops by rinsing them and then pat them dry. In a little bowl, lightly beat the egg.
- Roll each scallop in the ground tortilla chips, dip it in the egg, and press it down gently on both flat sides.
- One tablespoon of olive oil should be heated in a nonstick pan set over medium heat.
- Cook the scallops for about 2 minutes on the first side in a hot pan. There ought to be a satisfying sizzling noise. When the scallops are beautifully browned on one side, flip them over and cook until both sides are browned. The scallops barely become opaque in the center.
- Put the salsa on a plate and serve it right away!