May 23, 2014 Two New Recipes Sesame seed coated scallops served with couscous with Japanese greens and a wasabi guacamole sauce.

May 23, 2014 Two New Recipes   Sesame seed coated scallops served with couscous with Japanese greens and a wasabi guacamole sauce.

I loved the sauce that Noda, that great Japanese Restaurant that use to be in Rio Rancho, had made from avocados and wasabi.  I also remember the coconut coated shrimp we once ate at a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta with Connie.  Suzette was returning from spending several days in Santa Fe on Thursday evening, so during the day I went to Sprouts and I bought ½ lb. of bay scallops ($9.99/lb.).  I also drove to Pro’ Ranch Market and bought a bag of 4 fresh avocados for $1.00 and few other things.  We had old avocados so when I got home, so I decided to make guacamole with them. 

On Friday I decided to use the old guacamole to make the sauce that Noda made by adding wasabi.  I also wanted to try coating the scallops with sesame seeds and sautéing them.  Suzette was home and therefore doing the cooking.  I suggested coating the scallops with egg white to help the sesame seeds adhere, but she rejected that thought. We decided to make couscous with Japanese greens from our garden to go with the sautéed scallops.

Suzette picked a colander full of Mbuna and Red giant radish leaves (two Japanese greens).  I heated 1 ¼ cup of water and added 3 Tbsps. of butter to it and brought it to a boil.  Then I added ¾ cup of couscous and let it boil for a minute or two, while I rough cut the greens.  Then I added them and stirred them into the couscous to cook the greens.  I then turned down the heat and in another minute of two I turned off the heat and let the couscous cook and absorb the heat.

New Recipe: Wasabi flavored guacamole sauce

I added some wasabi to some guacamole and it tasted old and very spicy.  Suzette said to add a new avocado and I did and that helped freshen and brighten the sauce but it was still really a paste, so I added about 2 tsps. of Aji Mirin to sweeten and smooth out the sauce.  Then Suzette smeared a spoonful of the sauce onto each plate, like they do in the fancy restaurants.

New Recipe Sesame coated sautéed scallops

Suzette wanted to toast the sesame seeds so we put 2 or 3 Tbsps. of them into a dry skillet and toasted them.  Then Suzette rolled the scallops in the sesame seeds to coat the scallops.  She then heated a skillet with peanut and sesame oil and sautéed the scallops for a minute of two.  The scallops were actually bay scallops and smaller, so it did not take long to cook them.

Not all of the sesame seeds stayed adhered to the scallops, so there were extra toasted sesame seeds and oil in the skillet.  We decided to add the sesame seeds and oil to the couscous.  I heated the couscous again to steam off the last of the water and heat it.  I opened a bottle and poured glasses of MacMurray Ranch Pinot Gris.

We plated the couscous and scallops and we were ready to eat.

The guacamole sauce was spicy and also creamy, so very different.  The real surprise of the meal was how well the sesame seeds tasted with and in the couscous.

Also, the slightly sweet Pinot Gris was a perfect complement for the spiciness of the wasabi flavored guacamole and the slightly bitter greens in the couscous.

All in all, a very successful meal with a couple of interesting new dishes. 

  

Bon Appétit