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
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!
Simply Sundays! ~ Sea Scallops over Lentil - Chorizo Salad
Ingredients
For the scallops
2 pounds of sea scallops
1/3 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/8 cup of sherry wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 tablespoons of canola oil for searing
For the Lentil – Chorizo Salad
1 large yellow onion
2 bay leaves
6 fresh parsley sprigs
5 garlic cloves
2 cups of rinsed french lentils
olive oil
2 Spanish chorizo sausage links
For the vinaigrette
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
2 tablespoons of orange zest
2 teaspoons of thyme
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
For the garnish
2-3 slices of proscuitto
6 parsley sprigs, finely chopped
Directions
For the scallops
Remove the tab muscle from 2 pounds of sea scallops, blot dry; set them aside in a glass pan
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 – 4 hours; flip them over every now and again
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
For the Lentil – Chorizo Salad
Peel and cut the onion into eights 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
Place the lentils and cheesecloth packet 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
Dice 2 Spanish chorizo sausage links and saute over medium heat; after about 2-3 minutes, remove the chorizo from the pan and place in a fine sieve to drain
Combine sherry wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, honey & orange juice and place in a bowl
Whisk in 2 orange zest, thyme, kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder until all vinaigrette ingredients are thoroughly combined
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
For the garnish
Cook the proscuitto in the hot chorizo pan for only about 5 minutes until it looks crisp and browned. Remove from the pan, crumble and set aside until serving
Chop 6 parsley sprigs
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
Tools used to make this recipe
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
© Simply Sundays 2017
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