Lemon Scallops and Mushrooms

This is another no recipe dish that I have been making for several years. It is very popular with family and friends. The key is truly fresh sea scallops. One way to check is to ask for a sample scallop at the seafood counter. It shouldn’t smell overpoweringly fishy and should taste sweet. The people working on the seafood counter (especially at the supermarket) are usually horrified to see you eat a scallop raw… but you can. Raw scallops have been a part of traditional Japanese sushi dishes for centuries. Two people need 3/4lb of scallops and 4 people will eat 1-1/2lbs. You could use the smaller bay scallops and save some money… but they are never as good. This is a quick and very easy dish to make with a fresh zingy flavor. The greatest pain is the price of sea scallops which has been through the roof lately.

3/4lb to 1-1/2lbs fresh sea scallops
2 ripe lemons or 3 ripe limes
Package of shitake or baby bell mushrooms
3 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
Italian breadcrumbs
Parsley
Rice

There is not a lot of prep time on this one. The scallops need to rinsed and the hard rubbery attachment point (to the shell) needs to be removed. They can be easily pulled off and discarded. Squeeze the lemons into juice, a lemon press is handy. Coat a skillet with olive oil and lightly brown the garlic. Add the mushrooms and sauté them for the next several minutes. At this point start the broiler in your oven with the top shelf set just below the broiler. Pour the lemon juice into the skillet and stir in. Now add the scallops and sauté them for about three minutes. Turn the scallops over (I use tongs and flip them one by one) and sauté them for another three minutes. Then shake the bread crumbs over the whole skillet mix and put the skillet under the broiler. If you haven’t done this before you need to leave the oven door partially open so you don’t broil the skillet handle, it needs to stick out. Broil until the bread crumbs turn golden brown. Sprinkle a pinch of parsley after broiling the mix. Serve with rice.

This is a simple dish to make and tastes amazing. We like lemon, so we use two whole lemons. For a less lemony flavor use a single lemon. You can also substitute limes for the lemons and get a different but equally fresh flavor. Like a lot of seafood, don’t overcook the scallops.

Enjoy!

~David