Рецепт Gratin of Nantucket Bay Scallops and Prosciutto
The
other day I saw the sign pictured on the left announcing the annual arrival of
Nantucket Bay Scallops. Like local
asparagus, there are only a few weeks a year when these little sweet morsels
make their way into our market. It’s an
invitation I cannot refuse. They’re
tender and tiny, a true delicacy. So I
immediately bought enough for two and trundled home to hit the books, or more
properly, the internet. I quickly found
a recipe that, while it sounded vaguely familiar, really appealed to me. The
sweetness of the scallops was paired with salty bits of prosciutto, a little licorice-flavored
liqueur and crisp panko breadcrumbs. There was some chopped garlic thrown in
and some shallot as well. I turned to the comments section. The recipe had very high marks from some
reviewers. But others were not so taken with it. I’ve written about how put off I am when a
home cook drastically alters an original recipe and then rails that it wasn’t
any good. But in this case, there seemed
to be numbers of people who’d followed the recipe to a Tee and still found it
wanting. And I started to make mental
notes about how easy it would be to fix their problems. It was at that moment that I realized I had
indeed made this recipe last Nantucket Bay Scallop season. When you post over
450 recipes, eventually you’re bound to repeat yourself. But I still wanted to make it. So I set about to make it even better than
the last time.
"Cubetti" of Prosciutto pack more flavor
than minced sliced ProsciuttoThe
original recipe called for two slices of prosciutto, minced. Given that
prosciutto is incredibly thin, this is really impractical. Instead I decided to
use the diced prosciutto that comes in 4 ounce containers. This labor-saver also boosted the prosciutto
flavor and gave a terrific counterpoint to the sweetness of the scallops. The original recipe called for Pernod. Having none, I discovered Ouzo was a perfect
substitute. Finally, there was a good
deal of complaining about the liquid which pooled in the bottom of the gratin
dishes. To me, a great gratin does not float in liquid. The solution was to eliminate
the tablespoon of wine that was supposed to go into each gratin dish. Finally, the original recipe called for using
an electric mixer to make the topping that makes the dish a gratin in the first
place. I am happy to report that the
mixture does just fine using a plain ordinary fork, making it clean-up that
much easier. The only real effort in
this whole dish is removing the white muscle and membrane from each individual
scallop. But that’s a small price to pay
for the splendid dish you’ll create.
The whole thing takes under a half hour.
Gratin of Nantucket Bay Scallops and Prosciutto
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter at room
- temperature
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large shallot, sliced thin
- 2 oz. of diced Prosciutto di Parma
- 4 tbsp. fresh Italian Parsley,
- chopped plus more for garnish.
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Freshly Ground Pepper
- 6 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 lbs. fresh Nantucket Bay Scallops
* Commenters frequently left out
the Ouzo or Pernod to no apparent detriment.
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees
Place 6 (6 inch round gratin dishes
on a sheet pan.
2.
Make the topping by combining the butter, garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley,
lemon juice, Ouzo or Pernod, salt and pepper with a fork in a medium sized
bowl. Once mixed, add the oil in a
stream as if making mayonnaise, until the oil is combined with the mixture.
Fold in the panko with a rubber spatula and set aside.
With a sharp knife, remove the
white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop and throw it away. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel a
distribute them evenly among the gratin dishes. Spoon the garlic butter and
Panko mixture evenly over the scallops.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the topping is golden and the scallops
barely done. Finish with a squeeze of
lemon juice and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
Serve at once.