2021 Vuelta - Stage 20: Sanxenxo to Mos. Castro de Herville
Today is the penultimate stage in the final region of Galicia. While it is yet another mountainous stage (I really had no idea how mountainous Spain or this race was!), there were some glimpses of the coast line in today’s coverage of a stage that is in the shape of a lowercase g. A lot of territory is being covered today, but I am focusing on the highlights of the coastal portion and bringing to you one last treat from José Andrés: Scallops with Albariño wine. While Chef Andrés had a beautiful presentation of these scallops, broiled and served in their shells, I have altered the preparation as most of us don’t have access to scallops in the shell, and probably wouldn’t go through the effort of prying one open, removing the scallop and cleaning the shells. I think you’re all with me on this one shortcut, right? These are super tasty, enjoy!
Scallops with Albariño Wine and Serrano Ham adapted from Made in Spain, José Andrés
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup Albariño wine
2 tbsp finely diced serrano jam
1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 pound scallops, tendon removed
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions, reducing the heat to medium-low, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and sauté until fragrant.
Stir in the wine and sauté until the wine has fully evaporated and the onions have completely darkened. Then, stir in the ham and 2 tsp of the parsley, briefly. Transfer the sautéed onions and ham to an oven safe casserole dish and let cool, slightly.
While the onions cool, prepare your scallops by removing the tendons, drying and seasoning the scallops with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Preheat the broiler, moving a rack to the upper third of the oven.
Heat some oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Sear the scallops on one side only, in batches, for 2 minutes and transfer the scallops, seared-side down onto the onions in the casserole dish, reserving any extra seared scallops that won’t fit in the dish.
Squirt some extra wine onto the scallops and sprinkle some fresh breadcrumbs on top. Drizzle with olive oil and place under the broiler until the breadcrumbs start to brown. Sprinkle with half of the remaining parsley and serve family style.
Once the initial batch of scallops have been eaten, place the remaining scallops on top of the leftover sautéed onions, sprinkle with more wine and breadcrumbs and broil once more. ______________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.