Sea Scallops with Lentil – Chorizo Salad

This is another fabulous recipe we learned during a fun day class at the Culinary Institute of America

The flavors are SO complex… a lentil salad dressed with flavorful vinaigrette and specked with smoky chorizo topped with seared sea scallops and crisp proscuitto

It was so much fun to be in a professional kitchen with top chefs on hand to give advice

This was one of our favorites so we’re going to recreate in our own kitchen and share with you

I’ve made the Lentil – Chorizo Salad by itself a few times and everyone in our house loves it, but paired with these fresh Seas Scallops lightly marinated in orange juice and a few spices… man. oh. man

You can absolutely make this lentil salad ahead of time.  It only gets better as it melds

I bought 2 pounds of sea scallops at the fish market, removed the tab muscle and blotted them dry.  Set them aside in a glass pan

We’re going to make a light vinaigrette for the marinade

Measure out 1/3 cup of orange juice, 1/8 cup of sherry wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of thyme, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and olive oil

Combine the juice, vinegar, a few swirls of olive oil and the spices in a small bowl.  Whisk until thoroughly combined

Pour the marinade over the scallops in a glass dish, toss each one, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour at a minimum but no longer then four

It won’t hurt to flip them over every now and again

While the scallops are chillin’ with each other, let’s make the Lentil – Chorizo Salad.  I can’t even explain how good this is.  You just have to make it and love it

Let’s start with one large yellow onion, 2 bay leaves, 6 fresh parsley sprigs, 5 garlic cloves, 2 cups of rinsed french lentils and some olive oil

Note ~ French lentils are a bit smaller and firmer than regular brown lentils.  This makes them perfect for salads.  I found them pretty easily at the grocery store but they are also available online or at a “trendy” store such as Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s

Le Puy Roland French Lentils

Here’s the part that I thought was pretty intuitive.  Let’s add flavor to the lentils while they cook, but put the ingredients in cheesecloth so we can pluck it out super easy

Peel and cut the onion into eighths, then add to a square of cheesecloth along with the bay leaves, the parsley and garlic

Gather the edges of the cloth in and tie with butcher’s string

This is commonly referred to as a “Bouquet Garni” but our kids would call it a “flavor present”.  So I’m going with it

Place the lentils and flavor present into a medium saucepan and cover with water by one inch.  Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce the heat to low and partially cover

Simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked through.  Drain, remove cheesecloth

Set the lentils aside to cool

We’ve diced 2 Spanish chorizo sausage links

Saute them over medium heat

After about 2-3 minutes, remove the chorizo from the pan and place in a fine sieve to drain

While we have the pan hot from the sausage, let’s crisp up our proscuitto topping

I’m pretty sure I love prosciutto more than most things except maybe my children.  And my husband.  And my dog and cat, but more than most everything else

Since it’s just for serving, we only need a few slices of prosciutto sliced up thinly.  Cook in the hot pan for only about 5 minutes until it looks crisp and browned.  Remove from the pan, crumble and set aside until serving

Let’s move on to the the vinaigrette for the salad

Measure out 1/4 cup of sherry wine vinegar, 1/3 of a cup of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of honey & 1 tablespoon of orange juice

Zest 2 tablespoons of orange and measure 2 teaspoons of thyme, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Stir all ingredients together until well combined and set aside

A few fresh veggies add some welcome crunch to this delicious salad

Finely dice 3/4 cup each of fennel, celery and red bell pepper

Add the veggies to a large mixing bowl along with the vinaigrette

Add in the chorizo and lentils and stir until well combined

Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary

Set aside and now let’s cook up some scallops

Remove the scallops from the marinade and blot each one to dry off.  Season each side with kosher salt and black pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add in the scallops.  Sear for 4 minutes on one side until nicely browned , flip and sear for another minute or until browned

 Remove from pan for assembly

We like to plate this dish on a long platter with the Lentil-Chorizo Salad first, then arranged the scallops and sprinkle with the crisped prosciutto and freshly chopped parsley

Enjoy!

Tools used to make this recipe

Regency Natural Cooking Twine

Pure Acres Farm 100% Unbleached Cheese Cloth, 18 Sq Feet

Simply Bamboo 13.5″ Valencia Bamboo Cutting Board

Winco Strainer with Double Fine Mesh, 8-Inch Diameter

Winco Strainer with Double Fine Mesh, 8-Inch Diameter

Greenbrier 1 X Mini Pinch Prep Bowls, Set of 4

Royal Classique 10 Piece Professional Grade Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons Set 

Pyrex Prepware 4-Quart Rimmed Mixing Bowl

Source: Adapted from Spain and The World Table – Susan Walter

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