New Year's Eve is traditionally amateur night for drinkers. Christine and I like to find a happy home locally to get together with friends, cook good food, have a few drinks to celebrate the greatness of last year and happily bring in the hopes and dreams of the New Year.
I am making a dish that I cooked at a competition a year and a half ago. Even though it did not score that great with the judges, it is an amazing dish. Lime marinated scallops, wrapped in prosciutto on rosemary skewers.
As a competitor on the BBQ trail, I have had my fair share of highs, lows, and "Should Have Beens". While getting started in BBQ, some of the teams associated with NEBS (New England BBQ Society) will mentor rookies testing the waters. Originally, I was allowed to cook with Andy King and The Bastey Boys. I have become a Bastey Boy. I was fortunate enough to cook with Michelle Taft, Terry Sullivan, and Sully (no Gary Taft this time) of Lunchmeat at the 2011 Roc City Rib Fest in Rochester, NY.
As a mentoring BBQ cook, I cooked only one category. Being the coastal rat that I am, I selected scallops as my entry. Competition is tough in Rochester. Fifty BBQ teams converge on the shores of Lake Ontario for Memorial Day. These are not your run of the mill teams. The competition is some of the toughest around. Because of the location, the event attracts folks from Canada, the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England.
This story of my recipe is a story of what "Should Have Been". The scallops were cooked so juicy, tender, and flavorful but just did not score well. The construction of my entry follows, but I have to tell you, I don't know what the judges were thinking when the winning entry was a mashed up scallop that was mixed with some tiny veggies and served on a cracker. I guess I will have to write it off that the judges were people that do not live near the coast and don't have access to fresh seafood. They do the best they can with frozen stuff from the local supermarket.
Of course, I started at my local fish monger, the Lobster Trap in Monument Beach, MA. The scallops were fresh off the boat that morning. The scallops were put in a lime marinade about 3 hours before the turn-in-time and a fire was prepared in a Weber Kettle Grill.
After an hour of marinating, the scallops were wrapped in prosciutto then two scallops were put on a rosemary sprig skewer leaving a few leaves at the top as garnish. A cast iron grilling pan was placed directly on the fire and heated until very hot. The wrapped, skewered scallops were put on the grilling pan a few at a time for about one minute per side including the sides that had the prosciutto. This process continued until all the scallops were cooked.
For the turn-in box, a bed of green, leafy lettuce covered the bottom. In addition, limes were thinly sliced. Some were left flat while others were cut and twisted into shapes. The scallops were put on top of the flat limes and the twisted limes were used to prop up the scallops for appearance.
The result was a tender scallop with a hint of lime and rosemary that scored nineteen out of fifty entries. Next time I will research and consider the area before entering such a foreign food. But, that does not mean "you" cannot try this because it's a favorite around my house!
Best wishes for a prosperous, safe new year. I hope you all enjoy your cooking and experience some great food from others.
Comments