Chopped peanuts and flaked coconut form a savoury-sweet crust for fresh scallops. Sauté the scallops and serve them on a bed of sautéed spinach flavoured with coconut milk. Rice microwaved for a minute, tossed with shredded carrots and also flavoured with coconut milk makes a quick side dish. The carrots get slightly cooked in the heat of the cooked rice.
The secret to making sweet, juicy scallops is to sear them for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. They will be translucent in the centre and continue to cook off the heat.
Coconut milk is made by mixing shredded coconut with boiling water, letting it steep and then straining it. “Lite” coconut milk is available, and it works well in this recipe.
A bone-dry, crisp, light-as-air French muscadet white wine will pair well with this seafood dish.
Peanut-Coconut Crusted Scallops
Makes: 2 servings
3 Tbsp dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup desiccated coconut flakes
3/4 lb scallops
2 tsp canola oil
3 cups washed, ready-to-eat spinach
2 Tbsp “lite” coconut milk
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Chop peanuts and coconut flakes in a food processor and place on a plate. Roll scallops in the mixture, making sure all sides are covered. Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. Add scallops and sauté 1 1/2 minutes; turn and saute 1 1/2 minutes. The scallops will be seared and continue to cook in their own heat off the stove. Place them on a plate and add the spinach to the pan. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about two minutes.
Add the coconut milk and salt and pepper, to taste. Divide spinach between two dinner plates and place scallops on top.
Per serving: 338 calories (44 per cent from fat), 16.6 g fat (4.7 g saturated, 6.4 g monounsaturated), 54 mg cholesterol, 33.6 g protein, 14.7 g carbohydrates, 3.2 g fibre, 347 mg sodium.
Coconut-Carrot Rice
Makes: 2 servings
1 cup shredded carrots
1 package microwaveable rice (1 1/2 cups cooked rice needed)
1/2 cup “lite” coconut milk
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Place carrots in a bowl. Cook rice according to package instructions. Measure 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice and add to the bowl with the carrots. (Reserve any remaining rice for another meal.) Add the coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste.
