Scallop Mango Salad

I've been in a bit of a slump, I must confess.  Not that I haven't been cooking, mind you: I just haven't been cooking exciting stuff.

I blame my wife, of course.

Her schedule has been a bit crazy as of late, which means getting home around 9:00.  Couple that with getting up at 5:30 in the morning to work out, and we're a little pressed for time. So it's all been about variations on a theme (or repeats).  And spaghetti. Lots of spaghetti.

Now, slowly, her schedule is evening out, and I'm getting back into the swing of things. Still couldn't shake the noodle thing, though...

Scallop Mango Salad

What You Need

1 lb. scallops (about 1/2 dollar-sized), room temperature

1 tsp. butter

1 tsp. minced ginger

3/4 cups shitake mushrooms, quartered

3 campari tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, diced

1 mango, chopped

1/8 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 shallot, sliced thin

1 1/2 cups chenin blanc

2 tsp. green curry powder.

2 tbsp. plain yogurt

1 tsp. milk

Rice noodles

Salt to taste

What To Do With It

Prep everything ahead of time; this goes quickly once you get started.

Start boiling your water for the rice noodles.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the ginger and gently sautee to awaken the ginger (about 5 minutes).  Then, add the mushrooms and sautee until they begin to soften. Remove and set aside.

While you're sauteeing the mushrooms, begin prepping your dressing by mixing together the yogurt, milk and curry powder, along with a pinch of salt.

About the time the mushrooms come up, your water should be boiling, so add the noodles. At the same time, pour the wine into the same pan you used for the ginger & mushrooms, and turn the heat to high. Once the wine is boiling, drop in the scallops and poach for 1 minute per side. DON'T OVER-COOK.

Remove the scallops and reduce the remaining broth to about 1/3. Rinse your rice noodles under cold water for about 30 seconds.

Once the broth is reduced, add 1-2 tsp of it to the yogurt. Combine everything except the noodles in a bowl and toss.

Put some noodles on a plate, then top with the salad and add a pinch of kosher salt to each plate.

Serve with a sweetish wine. We used a gewurtz, although a  prosecco would also work.

Spicy Mussels in Coconut Milk Broth

Last night my wife decided she was tired of steak. Instead, she wanted halibut ... until we got to the store. Then, though she still wanted seafood, she didn't want any fish. That leaves crustaceans and bivalves, we just had shrimp the other night and we didn't want to spend the kind of money that lobster or crab takes.

So we zeroed in on mussels. It's been a while since we've had them. Years, in fact. Too long for me to remember how I used to make them. But I did remember a dish we had at a restaurant that had coconut milk as a base. I set out to create my own version.

It turned out pretty well, I must say.

Spicy Mussels in Coconut Milk Broth

What You Need
24 mussels
2 tbsp. shallots, chopped
1 tbsp. ginger, minced
1 serrano, deseeded and sliced thin (or leave the seeds in for extra heat)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 mushrooms, diced
1 can coconut milk
2 cups dry white wine (or champagne)
4 cloves
1 tsp coriander
1/2 lemon
1 lime
1/3 cup cilantro
Salt

Chicken broth
Rice sticks (rice vermicelli)

What To Do With It

First, purge the mussels. Set them in cold water. They'll "evacuate" any sand.
Next grind up the coriander and cloves. (I used a mortar & pestle. A mini food processor will work. If not, use 1/2 tsp of curry powder.)
Saute the garlic, shallots, ginger and serranos.
Pour in the wine and coconut milk. Squeeze in the lemon and 1/2 lime. Simmer on medium for 10 minutes, then add the mushrooms. Continue to simmer. Add water if it's getting too thick. Salt to taste. If it's not spicy enough for you, add some red pepper.

When you add the mushrooms, put on a pot with 1/4 chicken broth and 3/4 water to boil (this will be for your rice sticks). Once it boils, throw in the rice sticks.

After 2 minutes (when your rice sticks should be almost done, if not all the way), put the mussels and 1/2 the cilantro in the coconut milk. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook 3 minutes.

While this is going on, remove the rice sticks, drain and wash with cold water for 2 minutes(otherwise, they'll make your broth very thick, trust me.)

Serve by placing the rice sticks in a bowl, then adding mussels and broth. Add a couple drops of lime juice and fresh cilantro on top.

Serve with a bottle of prosecco. We used Riondo Spago Nero Prosecco.