Do The Cabbage Patch

On a recent sticky, tumultuously stormy evening, I was feeling like eating something with a spicy Asian flair, but decided against delivery…I always feel terrible for the delivery men when its pouring. So I slipped on my Wellies and braved the monsoon to head to Whole Foods to provision my meal. I am not always particularly enamored by the seafood selection or prices at Whole Foods. On quite a few occasions, I have had to augment my protein due to lack of selection or items being previously frozen. That evening was one of those occasions. I had originally envisioned grilling a steak of bloody red Yellowfin tuna, but compromised with some lovely plump fresh local diver sea scallops. I stuck with my original plan to make a spicy slaw, which would serve as the purple hued bed for the scallops. To start my slaw, I first made the vinaigrette that the slaw would be tossed in.

Vinaigrette:

2 minced cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

4 chopped scallions

1 minced jalapeño (seeds removed)

Juice of 4 limes

1/4 of a cup of chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seeds

1/2 tablespoon of ground mustard powder

3/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup of sesame oil

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

black pepper

(Mix all the ingredients together and allow the flavors to meld. This makes a good amount of dressing and, depending on the amount of slaw that is made, you might have some leftover)

I then made the slaw:

Slaw:

1/4 head of red cabbage thinly sliced

1/4 head of green cabbage thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced              

1 medium sized red onion thinly sliced

1 cup carrots shredded

(Combine all ingredients in a large bowl)

The scallops should be cleaned and patted very dry, lightly salted and peppered.

I opted for grilling the scallops on a cast iron grill pan since I had originally wanted to grill the tuna steak, but pan searing would work just as well. I used an all natural canola oil grilling spray for the pan and grilled the scallops 2 minutes a side. Be sure that the pan is extremely hot-this will allow the scallops to get a lovely crisp brown top. Do not overcook the scallops or they will be very tough.

Once the scallops are almost done, toss enough dressing on the slaw to coat and flavor, but not to saturate. Plate as desired and ENJOY. The sweet, delicate mollusk paired deliciously with the spicy crunchy slaw. Sometimes last minute changes work extremely well.

Scallops are a delicious and delicate lean, low fat, low calorie protein that can be prepared exceptionally fast and with much ease. They are very high in Vitamin B12, selenium and potassium. B12 helps control homocysteine levels in the body, which reduce the risk of osteoporosis, heart disease, and stroke.

Cabbage, which some consider boring, is very versatile and can add a nice crunchy element to salads and sandwiches and is usually the star ingredient of slaws. Cabbage is a great inexpensive vegetable and is a member of the cruciferous family, which also includes broccoli, kale, and bok choy. Cabbage contains Vitamins K and C, fiber, folate and potassium and is believed to have cancer fighting properties.

I guess those cabbage patch kids had the right idea…

Have a lovely weekend Radish Heads! I’ll be in Sag Harbor celebrating my little Grammy’s 88^th birthday with lobster and chocolate cake! Happy Birthday Grams!