We have been in the new house for two weeks now and are thoroughly enjoying everything about the house and new found space! I however have been struggling to find my flow in the kitchen. It is a combination of not having cooked for some time (I was between kitchens), eating out more than usual (I wasn’t cooking), and still trying to figure out the flow of my new kitchen (the new layout and equipment has thrown me off).

Since I love seafood so much, especially fresh scallops, they were my go to ingredient to help me get my culinary juices kick started again. On my shopping trip over to the West Side Sobeys with the twins, I headed straight over to the seafood counter to select my scallops. Fresh scallops have an almost sweet taste and a very tender texture, translucent ivory white colour and they should feel a little firm and springy to the touch.

With my inspiration in hand I went in search of accompanying ingredients, I knew I wanted to introduce some spice, so I grabbed some wasabi peas and wasabi paste along the way. Before I knew it the twins and I were whirling around the produce aisles grabbing mango, radishes, peppers and snow peas, dinner was taking shape nicely. It is fun to spontaneously shop for supper with no real plan of what will end up on the plate and then see it all come together in a delicious grand finale!

The kids rode their bikes and coloured with chalk on our new super huge long concrete driveway (I dread shovelling it in the winter) while I set about preparing dinner before Jana got home from work. The salad came together quite easily; it was mostly chopping which I made quick work of. Once it was all tossed together in the bowl it looked amazing; bright and colourful, fresh and full of different textures. The scallops were equally simple, and I quite enjoyed taking out some of the days frustration on the poor unsuspecting wasabi peas as I turned them to a finely ground powder with my mortar and pestle. I was lovingly searing them in the pan as Jana walked through the door. She was instantly excited about dinner once she saw (sampled) the beautiful Summer Udon Noodle salad I had perfectly plated for a photograph and the fresh scallops sizzling in the hot pan.

Wasabi Pea Scallops with Summer Udon Noodle Salad
Serves 5
Prep time: 40 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

Summer Udon Noodle Salad
1 pckg udon noodles
1 ½ cups (375 mL) thinly sliced red pepper
1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced red radishes
1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced snow peas
1 ½ cups (375 mL) thinly sliced mango
1 cup (250 mL) thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup (60 mL) chives, cut 1” long
¼ cup (60 mL) Compliments Chopped Peanuts [1]
1 tbsp (15 mL) black sesame seeds
1 tbsp (15 mL) dulse flakes
1 tsp (5 mL) soy sauce
1` tsp (5 mL) sesame oil
1 tsp (5 mL) Compliments Liquid Honey [2]
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lime juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) Compliments Canola Oil [3]
Salt and pepper as needed

Scallops
½ tsp (5 mL) ground pepper
¼ tsp (1 mL) coarse sea salt
3 tbsp (45 mL) wasabi peas
16 large sea scallops
1 tsp (5 mL) Compliments Canola Oil [4]
Wasabi paste as needed

Summer Udon Noodle Salad

1. Bring a salted pot of water to a boil, cook the noodles 2 minutes, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside while you prepare the other salad ingredients.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the sesame seeds, dulse flakes, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, lime juice and canola oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
3. Add the cooled noodles and remaining ingredients to the dressing. Toss to coat well, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, cover and set aside.

Scallops

4. Crush the wasabi peas inside a small plastic bag or using a mortar and pestle to a fine powder, add the salt and pepper, then mix well.
5. Wash dry and remove the small opaque connective adductor muscle from the side of the scallop. Dry them really well with paper towel and season them all over with the ground wasabi peas.
6. Heat the canola oil in a hot sauté pan over medium high heat, carefully add the scallops and sear them on the first side for 2-3 minutes. Gently turn them over and continue cooking on the second side for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and let rest for 2-3 minutes.
7. Serve the seared scallops with the noodle salad and as much wasabi paste as your guests like!

Nutritional Analysis per Serving:
Energy: 280 kcal
Protein: 20g
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 30 mg
Carbohydrates: 29g
Fibre: 3 g
Sodium: 400 mg
Potassium: 590 mg

Diner looked great and smelled great; I believe I have finally found my flow in the new kitchen! Does it ever feel good to be cooking great food again!

Happy Cooking!
Chef Ryan Skelton