The Aristocrats of the Shellfish Family

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Scallops are among the most beautiful and delicious gifts of the deep.  I love scallops served just about any way possible.  Remember in “Forest Gump” how Bubba recited a million ways to cook shrimp?  I could do that with scallops.  Here is something a little different- scallops in a beer batter, along with sweet potato slices and fresh green beans, all served with a teriyaki dipping sauce.  The beer batter has to be made a few hours ahead of time, so keep that in mind when preparing this recipe.  The dipping sauce is fun to serve in scallop shells.

Beer Batter Scallop Tempura with Sweet Potatoes and Green Beans

Beer Batter – recipe follows
Dipping Sauce- recipe follows

2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
1 large sweet potato, pared and cut crosswise into 16 slices
16 fresh green beans, ends trimmed
1 medium Spanish onion, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices, separated into rings
16 large sea scallops (about 1 pound) rinsed and patted dry
Salt

1.  Make beer batter.
2.  Make dipping sauce.
3.  Heat oven to 250 degrees.  Place wire rack on baking sheet; place in oven.  Heat oil in large deep-fat fryer or heavy Dutch oven to 350 degrees.  Adjust heat to maintain temperature.
4.  Dip sweet potato slices in batter; remove with chopsticks or tongs; shake off excess batter.  Fry 8 slices at a time, turning once, about 4 minutes.  Remove from oil with slotted spoon; drain on paper toweling 2 minutes; transfer to wire rack in oven.  Skim batter residue from oil; heat oil again to 350 degrees.  Repeat procedure, frying beans 8 at a time until light brown, about 4 minutes; onion rings 4 at a time until golden, about 4 minutes; and scallops 8 at a time until golden, 3 to 4 minutes,.
5.  Sprinkle vegetables and scallops with salt; arrange on serving plates.  Serve with dipping sauce. Serves 4.

Beer Batter:
1 cup unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Dash ground nutmeg
Dash cayenne pepper
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup flat beer, room temperature

Mix flour, salt, mustard, white pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper in medium-sized bowl.  Make a well in the center of mixture.  Place egg yolk and butter in well.  Slowly pour beer into well, whisking constantly.  Whisk until smooth.  Let stand, covered, for 3 hours.

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) sesame oil

Mix all ingredients in small bowl; serve at room temperature.

One Response to The Aristocrats of the Shellfish Family

  1. September 19, 2011 at 4:44 am #

    There is a nip in the air which can only mean one thing-turn the oven on and bake something. In this case it will be to keep those tempura sweet potatoes warm and toasty!

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