One of my personal favorites in seafood is the scallop, which is ironic since I can still remember eating one at a family seafood restaurant and getting a mouth full of grainy sand and swearing them off for all eternity. Well here I am today, a cook and a lover of this tender bi-valve that also happens to be a heart healthy food. Here is a picture of pan-seared scallops, the favorite way to present them because their natural sugars caramelize creating a mildly sweet and naturally nutty, golden crust. You can steam or grill scallops as well, and they are so versatile because of their delicate flavor, they really go with almost anything. If you are going to grill them I recommend using a skewer. Metal is best but bamboo is good as well, as long as you make sure and soak them for at least an hour prior to using them so they won’t char up and catch on fire. Scallops can be steamed, and they’re sturdy enough to go into a nice stew like the cioppino I wrote about last month. I think the best thing you can do with really good scallops is let them speak for themselves in a way that allows the elegant simplicity and oceanic nature of this food to really shine. And to do that I will never hide them in a heavy or overpowering sauce. Which is good because we’re on the Pain Free Diet and the whole point is to steer far, FAR, away from heavy foods into just plain good and nutritious ones that will really satisfy you without all the extra foo-foo.

Scallops come fresh and frozen and should always smell sweet, never ammonia-like or overly fishy. You can ask that your fishmonger remover the adductor muscle, or you can just peel it off yourself. It’s the white bit on the side of a scallop that is in essence it’s muscle that opens and shuts the shell and is not nice to chew on. It peels right off. Some scallops come with the roe attached, or coral as it is called. This is a bright reddish, coral color in fact, and is also edible and very delicious. When I cooked in Ireland we used to save it and puree it as a filling for won tons and it was just so delicious. Fresh scallops will have a milky-white liquid that is natural and helps keep them from drying out. However you do want to pat them dry before cooking them, unless you are going to steam them anyway, or toss them in a soup. Well since it’s still summer, at least where I live! Let’s include heirloom tomatoes and yummy black beans for a stellar and filling meal.

Heat a skillet with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and wait for ripples to appear or a nice olive oil aroma. Salt the scallops and lay 4 at a time in the pan until golden brown on one side. About 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat. Remove to a cookie pan or sheet pan and pop in oven when all scallops are browned for another 5 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

In a food processor add drained black beans, onion, garlic, and cilantro and puree until almost smooth and a paste consistency is achieved. You can add a dash of cumin and cayenne if you like as well. Season for salt.

When scallops are ready dollop a little black bean mixture on a plate or wide rimmed, shallow bowl, and serve 2-3 scallops per person with lots of the diced tomato and a sprinkling of cilantro at the end. This really captures the simplicity of the scallop, the sun kissed flavor of a ripe summer heirloom tomato, the green bite of cilantro and is also easy and healthy. I hope you enjoy!