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Fish


Kosher salt
3/4 cup grits
6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (1-1/2 cups)
16 sea scallops, trimmed of tough muscle flap (if present)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 link (about 4 ounces) cooked, Spanish-style chorizo, casing removed, cut into matchsticks or just crumbled
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions (white and green parts)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Always insist upon "dry" scallops. "Wet" scallops have been soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate, which gives them a longer shelflife by helping them retain excess moisture and which, accordingly, makes them hard to brown and obscures their sweet flavor. Also, before cooking, check scallops for any residual bits of connective muscle, which look like little flaps on the side of the cylindrical critters; it is almost always left attached to the yummy part, and is inedibly tough.
1. Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature (usually 170 degrees F) for warming.
2. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 3-1/2 cups water to a boil, and add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Slowly stir the grits into the water, pouring the grits in a fine stream. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the Cheddar, cover, and keep warm in the oven.
3. Ten minutes into cooking the grits, pat dry the scallops, season them with salt on both sides, and heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan, then the chorizo, and cook until the sausage renders some fat, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the scallops, shake the pan to move them around a little, and sear for 2 minutes. Turn and continue cooking until browned, 2 minutes. Remove the scallops to a plate lined with a paper towel, and place in the oven. Keep the chorizo in the pan.
4. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium, and add the scallions, garlic, and lemon juice. Cook for 2 minutes, and remove from the heat.
5. On each of 4 plates, make a bed of grits, then place the scallops on top, and drizzle pan sauce and chorizo on and around the scallops and grits. Serve quickly.

Unrated