Lemon Scallops with Black Beans and Polenta

Lemon Scallops & Black Beans ©Diane Eblin

Lemon Scallops & Black Beans ©Diane Eblin

Just a few ingredients and you can pull together an inexpensive meal that looks like it cost more.  Purchase your scallops when on sale and freeze.  I found a great deal at Trader Joes on a 16 oz bag of Wild Caught New England Jumbo Scallops for less than $10.  Polenta costs less than $3 a bag which makes like 100 servings (check your bag).  I only wanted 3 so I cut the recipe on the bag into 1/3.  Then we have the black beans.  Well they can cost more if you buy a can for less than $2 but to save more and have a meal without preservatives start with dried beans that you soak overnight.  Even if you forget you can follow the quick method.  For a great description of how to cook beans and a wealth of information everyone should know, check out The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.  It’s the featured book on my blog.

So there you have it, quick, easy and affordable.

Ingredients:

16 oz Wild Sea Scallops
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon infused oil
Celtic Sea Salt & pepper to taste
½ tsp Lemon zest

Directions:

Make sure your scallops are thawed and completely dry.  Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium high.  Gently place the scallops into the pan.  When they are brown turn them over and drizzle half of the lemon infused oil over them as they cook on the other side, add the salt and pepper.  Right before they are done hit them with your lemon zest to really bring out that lemon flavor.

For your black beans season them with a mixture of herbs that suit your pallet.
When making polenta I like to spread it out onto my Silpat non-stick mat to about ½ inch thick.  Then I take something to cut it into a shape after it has cooled.  With my round scallops I like square polenta for the contrast.  Next I brown it in a pan over medium high heat with a little oil.  Don’t get rid of those scraps, they make great polenta fries -more on that later.

When serving drizzle a little of that lemon infused oil and sprinkle a little parsley or your black bean herb mix over the dish and serve with a nice glass of white wine.

©Diane Eblin

©Diane Eblin

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