Welcome to another tasty edition of Chefs Share. Each month, we share a home chef-friendly recipe from one of Miami’s top restaurants. This month’s dish – Seared Scallops With Esquites – is from chef Ari Taymor and Wynwood hot spot Pez Loco (50 NW 24th St., 305.222.7768), which is known for its coastal Mexican cuisine and extensive tequila and mezcal menu. Look for fresh or dry-packed, never frozen scallops if you can. If you do use frozen, be sure to thaw them in your refrigerator overnight before you start cooking. Enjoy!
SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ESQUITES
(Courtesy of Pez Loco)
Chef Ari Taymor
Servings/yield: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS
For esquites, or charred corn salad:
· 4 ears corn
· 1/2 bunch cilantro, minced
· 6 shishito peppers, minced
· 3 limes, zested then juiced
· 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
· Salt
For corn purée:
· 1 head garlic
· 1 white onion, sliced
· 3 ears corn
· 1 tablespoon white miso
· 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
· 1 cup water
· 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, or enough to coat pan
For scallops:
· 12 U-10 sea scallops, patted dry
· 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or enough to coat pan
· Pat butter
· Fresh cilantro for garnish
PREPARATION
· To make charred corn salad, grill or char corn on the cob, then cut kernels from cob.
· Mix corn with remaining ingredients and season with salt to taste; reserve at room temperature.
· To make corn purée, preheat oven to 350º F; wrap garlic head in foil and roast about 45-50 minutes, until soft.
· While garlic is roasting, cut corn from cobs.
· In a heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat, add grapeseed oil; when hot add onion and season with a pinch of salt.
· Sauté onion until translucent; add corn and another pinch of salt and continue to cook until both corn and onion are caramelized, stirring every few minutes.
· If bottom of pan starts to caramelize and looks like it might burn, add a splash of water to deglaze.
· Once corn and onion are caramelized to a roasted deep-brown color, add miso and sauté about 2 minutes, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula. This is going to caramelize as well but don’t let it burn!
· Add water and bring mixture to a simmer; scrape bottom of saucepan to get all the caramelized bits into the sauce.
· Remove roasted garlic from oven, cut top off head and squeeze gently to extract roasted garlic “meat” and add to pan; simmer mixture until water is reduced by half.
· Blend pan’s contents at high speed until smooth, season with smoked paprika and another pinch of salt, adjusting to taste; set aside and keep warm.
· To make scallops, heat 12″ cast-iron pan over medium heat; add thin layer of grapeseed or neutral flavored oil (don’t use olive, it’ll burn and turn rancid).
· Place scallops in pan, leaving room between them; cook on one side until color changes on bottom (you can check one after about 2 minutes), but try not to disturb them.
· After about 3 minutes, add a pat of butter and continue to cook on same side until scallops are golden brown; flip and allow to cook on second side for about 30 seconds, then remove from heat.
· On large platter, add a few large dollops of corn purée; arrange the scallops on top, spoon corn salad around scallops and garnish with fresh cilantro to serve.