Sunday Flavors

SEA SCALLOPS OVER SUN DRIED TOMATO BREAD WITH PESTO

These shellfish must be one of the sweetest, creamiest, richest things that come from the sea. By opening and closing its two shells so repeatedly to create propulsion for swimming, this mollusk develops a large size muscle that becomes the part of the scallop commonly eaten. The meat of a scallop is round in shape and has a mildly sweet, delicate taste and creamy texture. But you should try sea scallops with its roe attached. The roe has a different taste and texture than the scallop proper, much less sweet, even verging on savory, creating a wonderful juxtaposition of flavors and textures.
I decided to try this sauté scallops over a slice of sun dried tomato bread, all seasoned with home made pesto sauce. Of course you can try different combinations, using your imagination. You can save time, buying bread and pesto sauce, only cooking the scallops, but it isn’t, by far, the same thing!

YOU WILL NEED (serves 4):
SEA SCALLOPS
8 good quality and size sea scallops with its roe;
Salt and pepper to season;
Juice of 1 lemon;
Butter;
A dash of White wine or Champagne;
BREAD
250 ml / 9 fl oz of warm water;
1 teaspoon of salt.
454 gr / 1 lb of bread flour (wheat flour);
85 gr / 3 oz of whole wheat flour;
2 or 3 sun dried tomatoes, chopped;
1 teaspoon of active dry yeast;
PESTO
½ clove of garlic, chopped;
Salt and freshly ground black pepper;
3 good handfuls of fresh basil leaves, chopped;
A handful of pine nuts, very lightly toasted;
A good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese;
Extra virgin olive oil;
A squeeze of lemon juice.

METHOD:
SEA SCALLOPS

Season sea scallops with salt, pepper, lemon juice and reserve;
In a skillet, heat one or two tablespoons of butter with salt and sauté scallops for 2 minutes each side;
Add a dash of white wine or champagne and sauté to dry for 2 minutes more. Reserve in a warm place;

BREAD

Pile the flour onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre. Pour half the water into the well, then add yeast and salt and stir with a fork;
Slowly, bring the flour into the centre until you get a mix with a good consistency;
Add remaining water and continue to mix until it's well incorporated but without making the mix very sticky (adjust water quantity according to your flour mix);
Add choped sun dried tomatoes, flour your hands and push the dough together with all the remaining flour around the surface. Push, fold and roll the dough around, over and over, for at least 5 minutes until you have an elastic dough;
Very gently, place your bread dough onto a flour-dusted baking tray and let it leaven in a warm place for one hour, until it has about doubled in size. You shouldn’t touch the bread dough anymore before baking it;
Bake the bread in 3 heat steps: Into a preheated oven to 250ºC / 482ºF bake your bread during 15 minutes, without opening the oven door. Reduce the oven heat to 220ºC / 428ºF and bake it for 10 minutes more. Reduce the oven heat to 200ºC / 392ºF and bake it for 10 minutes more. Note: when the dusted flour around the bread became dark brown your bread is baked.
PESTO
In a food processor, mix garlic with pine nuts, a pinch of salt and pepper;
Add basil leaves to the food processor and mix for a few seconds;
Turn out into a bowl, add half the Parmesan and stir gently;
Add olive oil (you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency);
Season to taste and add the remaining cheese;
Pour in some more olive oil until you reach your ideal taste and consistency;
Add a squeeze of lemon juice and mix again.
SERVING
Warm up the scallops;
Place two scallops over a rectangular slice of bread, very lightly toasted,;
Place a spoon of pesto over the scallops or aside, making a creative decoration.