Crispy chorizo gives skillet scallop recipe a flavor boost
Is everything better with crisped, cured chorizo? Of course not, but sometimes it can seem that way.
I’ve found that a bit of the spicy sausage tossed into savory dishes can mean the difference between fine and oh my, delicious. It also can be a go-to if your ingredients are too mild or not quite up to snuff.
Take this dish: Pan-Fried Scallops With Crispy Chorizo, a one-skillet recipe from “The Seafood Shack” by Kirsty Scobie and Fenella Renwick. They own a food truck in Ullapool, a small fishing village on the northwest coast of Scotland with a deep fishing history.
Their cookbook features about 80 recipes for dishes served at the business, where the two friends cook whatever the freshest catch of the day might be.
About these bivalves, they wrote: “Our scallop diver will randomly pop his head in on any given day and say, ‘I’ve got some scallops for you,’ and within an hour, they’ll be on the menu.”
If I had scallops that fresh, I’d probably be so excited, I’d lightly sear them in bit of butter, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and dig in. Unfortunately, I — and I bet you — usually cook with less than fresh-from-the-water catch. That’s where the chorizo comes in. (Here I’m talking about cured Spanish chorizo and not the fresh Mexican variety.)
This simple preparation calls for big scallops seared in hot fat. Then, chorizo, butter and herbs are added to the pan and the scallops are basted as they caramelize on the outside.
The resulting chorizo-enhanced sauce is so flavorful that even those who don’t love scallops will likely be delighted. I chose to balance the richness by serving it with steamed couscous, but you could choose rice or any favorite grain.