PISTACHIO CRUSTED SCALLOPS

Living no where near water, surrounded by young, rugged mountains, we do not eat much seafood. However, when we are in the big city, I go out of my way to bring home some tasty wild catches.

Tonight we (yes, Thurky helped) cooked up some scallops! Not only are they easy to overcook, but  they are a rarity in our house. So I had to get creative.

First things first.... this is what you will need to do to shell some pistachios: watch this and GET CRACKIN!

Hokay, here is the how to and with what:

Feeds 2 (3 if you want less delicious pistachio crustedness)

CRUST:

1 Cup Pistachios shelled

1tsp Old Bay (I used Penzy's Chesapeake Bay seasoning)

1/2 clove Garlic

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

6-8 SCALLOPS

2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (or another oil rthat has a high smoke point)

HOW TO:

1. Place all ingredients in the food processor(fp) (you already I love my FP) and pulse until evenly chopped  fine, but not powdery fine.

2. Transfer crust to a small bowl

3. Take scallops and coat each with a thin layer of Dijon so the crust will stick

4. Roll each scallop in the crust mix and press firmly so that it really sticks (I did not do this well enough and the crust came off a bit in the skillet)

5. Heat a medium sized skillet on high and melt 1-2 Tbsp Coconut oil.

6. Make sure the pan is hot and add the scallops

7. Sear 3-4 minutes on each side (may be less depending on your scallop size. Mine were LARGE)

8. Flip and sear the other side

9.Once scallops are golden brown on each side & look opaque, remove from pan and serve with:

 -Garlic Cauli Mash( recipe to follow),steamed asparagus, mixed greens.

As Julia Child would say, BON APPETIT!