photo by Chris Lightner
My wife Ari and I worked a little later than usual on Friday and both of us had a long week, so we were pretty set on dinner-in. Went to Whole Foods without knowing what we were going to eat. Scoping out the seafood section, we spotted some scallops, then checked out the meat department and couldn't resist the Aged Rib Eyes that were staring us down.
Our favorite cut is a Rib Eye - but what was difficult was whether to go with the scallops, or the meat. Why not Surf & Turf? We went with both. We actually bought 2 rib eyes to begin with, but when we got home and saw how much food we had, we quickly realized that 4 scallops (weighing over half a pound) and a single rib eye (almost a pound) was going to be PLENTY of food.
The other Rib Eye is now sitting uncovered on a plate in the fridge and will be turned daily until about Wednesday. This is a trick I learned from my buddy Sage, but have yet to try. It is supposed to be awesome.
Browsing the produce section for a bit, we decided to go with a couple large artichokes. We needed to make a decision quick because Ari's eagle eye had spotted the cheese samples from about 40 yds away...
For the wine, we went with a Pinot Noir since we had both red meat and shellfish on the menu. Pinots are my "go to" when I'm not sure what to pair with. You really can't go wrong in my experience. Of course I'm still learning, so all wine tips are welcomed!
Give the 'chokes' a 20 minute head start in the steamer. For the scallops, wrap them around with bacon and skewer them with a rosemary sprig. Set them aside. Start with heating a heavy cast iron pan (our "go-to" pan) by putting your stove on a medium-high heat. Once it is hot, sear the first side of the Rib Eye well, about two minutes. Give it a flip then turn the heat down a notch.
By now the pan should have plenty of juices and the scallops are ready to throw in. Give the scallops 2-3 minutes on each of the 4 sides to thoroughly cook the bacon. About 10 minutes total. When everything is done, flip the steak once more and butter the top to add a little more deliciousness as well as tie in something that you'd usually have with seafood (butter).
When you serve it, put a little extra dab of butter on the other side of the steak as well; that makes for more sauce to dip the scallops in. Ari whipped up some creamy balsamic to dip the chokes (mayo and balsamic). The wine had been poured and given time to breath, and we were ready to chow down. Awesome meal, and about half the price of going out - which we usually do on Fridays.
photo by Chris Lightner
