Seared Scallop Nicoise Salad With A Caper Vinaigrette Food

SEARED SCALLOPS NICOISE

Steps:

• In a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder, coarsely grind each type of peppercorn separately. Transfer to a small bowl, and toss to combine. Set aside.
• In another small bowl, mix vinegar and mustard; add 6 tablespoons oil in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set dressing aside.
• Fill a large bowl with ice and water. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add haricots verts, and cook until bright green and just tender, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, lift beans from water, and transfer to the ice bath to cool. Remove from ice bath with slotted spoon; transfer to a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry; transfer beans to a large bowl. Set aside.
• Return the water to a boil. Add fava beans, and cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice bath. Drain in a colander. Remove and discard inner skins from fava beans, and add beans to haricots verts.
• Sprinkle scallops with salt and reserved peppercorn mixture. Heat a cast-iron skillet until very hot over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil. Add half the scallops, and cook until well browned, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
• Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil to the skillet. Repeat with the remaining scallops, and transfer to the plate.
• Add olives, onion, tomatoes, and reserved dressing to beans; toss to combine.
• Arrange salad on six plates. Top with eggs and scallops; garnish with tarragon. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.

SEARED SCALLOP NICOISE SALAD WITH A CAPER VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• To make the dressing, combine all ingredients whisk or shake well to combine, set aside.
• Sear scallops -In a hot skillet add a small drizzle of olive oil and 1 tsp of butter. Season scallops with sea salt and sear in hot skillet for 1 1/2 mintues per side. Set scallops aside.
• In the meantime place a pot of water on the stove to boil (you will boil potatoes, asparagus, and eggs in the same pot).
• Add potatoes and boil until tender, remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and allow to cool,then slice.
• Add asparagus to boiling water and boil for 3 minutes, remove from water and immediately submerge in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Set aside.
• Add eggs to boiling water (carefully) and boil for 6 minutes. Remove eggs from boiling water and submerge in ice water. Peel eggs and set aside (6 minutes is the perfect jammy eggs. If you prefer hard-boiled cook for 9 minutes)
• Assemble salad. Greens on bottom, top with asparagus, potatoes, sliced radish, sliced avocado, eggs sliced in half, and seared scallops. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

SALAD NICOISE WITH SEARED TUNA

Steps:

• To make the vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a mason jar. Screw the cap on the jar and shake the vinaigrette vigorously to emulsify. Set the dressing aside while preparing the salad so the flavors can marry.
• Cooking the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in the same pot cuts down on prep time and clean up. To do this, put the potatoes in a large saucepan, add water to cover and a nice pinch of salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer the potatoes for 12 minutes to give them a head start, and then add the eggs. Place a steamer basket or colander on top of the simmering water. Put the green beans in the steamer and cover with a lid. Steam the beans for 5 minutes until crisp-tender while continuing to cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain out the water and put the potatoes, eggs, and green beans in a colander; rinse briefly under cold water. Peel the shells off the eggs and cut them in 1/2 lengthwise.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Rub the tuna on all sides with olive oil, and a bit of the vinaigrette; season with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Lay the tuna in the hot pan and sear for approximately 2 minutes on each side; as the tuna cooks, the red meat will become whiter. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and slice.
• To assemble the salad: combine the potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, olives, anchovies, capers, and chives in a large mixing bowl. Take the vinaigrette and give it another good shake to recombine. Drizzle the salad with enough vinaigrette to fully moisten and toss gently to coat; season with salt and pepper. Take care not to mush up the ingredients - the important thing about salad nicoise is that it is arranged nicely on a platter with all the elements keeping their individual integrity. Put the tossed salad down the center of a serving platter and lay the seared tuna attractively across the top and the eggs around the rim. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette and serve.

MARINATED SHRIMP, SCALLOP AND CAPER SALAD WITH SHERRY VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add shrimp to skillet; sauté 2 minutes. Add scallops and season with salt and pepper; sauté just until cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl; cool. Drain off juices.
• Whisk vinegar, garlic and crushed red bell pepper in small bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add to shrimp mixture. Mix in onion and capers. Chill at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours, tossing occasionally.
• Place greens in large bowl. Drizzle with some dressing from shrimp mixture atop greens. Using slotted spoon, arrange shrimp mixture atop greens. Place tomato and avocado slices in border around salad, overlapping slices; drizzle with any remaining dressing.