Seared Scallops over Roasted Mesquite Squash and Garlic Spinach

There's a restaurant I go to from time to time that has the magic formula.

It's not that the chef is wildly inventive or that he uses obscure, exotic ingredients, or that he has a knack for twisting carrots into doves.  No. I like this restaurant because I always come away feeling perfectly satisfied without feeling like a bloated fish.  That's the magic.

The focus of the meals tends to be on quality proteins, delicious, naturally occurring fats and smart carbohydrates (the full range of low glycemic carbohydrates).   I love the use of seasonal squash, pumpkin and beets on the fall menu.  The meals are simple but the use of ingredients is exquisite and bursting with flavour.

This seared scallop dish is typical of the kind of food combination you might find at The Wellington Gastropub.  (If you can figure out how their website works you get bonus marks).

This a straightforward recipe that you can largely assemble ahead of time.  A delicious date night meal!

Seared Scallops over roasted mesquite Squash and Garlic Spinach:

• 6 scallops
• 1 small acorn squash, roasted and mashed
• 1 tsp ground mesquite seeds (mesquite seasoning)
• 6 cups of spinach
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Sea salt & cracked pepper
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You can prepare the squash and spinach ahead of time if you like, leaving only the scallops and squash seeds to deal with at show time.

Prepare squash for roasting using this method.  Reserve seeds for toasting.  Once squash is cooked, remove it from oven and allow it to cool.  Separate flesh from skin and, using a potato masher or fork, mash the squash (this should be very easy to do if the squash is sufficiently cooked).  Add 1 Tbsp of butter and mesquite seasoning to squash.  Mix and set aside.

For spinach, warm a large skillet on stove over low heat with a touch of olive oil.  Add crushed garlic and a sprinkle of sea salt.  Once garlic becomes fragrant (but not browned, keep at low heat), add spinach.  You can gently increase heat to medium-low as you stir greens.  The wilting process usually only takes about 5 minutes or so.  Set spinach garlic mixture aside once fully wilted.

15 minutes before meal time,  warm squash and spinach on low heat in separate pots on stove. 

Meanwhile in a small, dry pan, toast squash seeds. Add a sprinkle of sea salt and mesquite as desired.

For scallops, I like to use a cast iron skillet to get a good sear.  I use a nice stable fat that can tolerate heat, such as butter or coconut oil, and get the skillet good and hot (but not smoking).  Once the butter has melted and the skillet is nice and hot, add scallops to skillet with a sprinkle of sea salt and cracked pepper.  Allow scallops to sizzle for approximately two minutes before flipping to sear the other side.  Frying time will depend on the size/width of the scallops you are working with. 

When scallops are cooked, begin assembling meal by placing a bed of wilted spinach on each plate, followed by some mesquite squash over top and finally the beautiful seared scallops. Sprinkle with toasted squash seeds.

Enjoy!

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Two other scallop recipes I can't wait to try are:

Kristy's Ice Wine Scallops at Eat, Play, Love; and

Sally's Scallops in Orange-Caramel Sauce at Bewitching Kitchen.