Bay Scallops and Shrimp Scampi

Bay Scallops and Shrimp Scampi with Rice

Our daughter is not a huge fan of seafood (bless her heart) but the hubby and I really enjoy a good seafood dinner here and again. She was off spending the night at a friend’s house this past weekend, and gave us the perfect chance to make us a seafood meal that doesn’t consist of frozen fish sticks, which inexplicably she does like to eat. A seafood scampi basically calls for a lot of butter, garlic, and lemon juice. Seeing as we were in an indulgent frame of mind, we used all that, and then some. Hey, you only live once, and we do try to eat healthy but in my mind the scallops and shrimp balanced out the fact we used real butter. Yes, you have to use real butter for this. Your results may vary, if not. We tag-teamed on this meal, helping each other out to get this on the table without overcooking it.

Bay Scallops and Shrimp

We prepared rice cooked in a deep golden homemade chicken broth to serve this over. You can use any kind of rice cooked in water or any broth, or even pasta. There is enough liquid to moisten up any accompaniment. Heck, sop up the juice with a big thick slice of crusty bread. Serve with a side salad, and all is good and well in the world for that time being.

Turning the Shrimp ~ My husband keeps his nails groomed nicer than mine!

Bay Scallops and Shrimp Scampi

1/2 pound bay scallops
1/2 pound shrimp
Hungarian or regular paprika, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 green onion, diced
1/8 cup lemon juice, about 1/3 large lemon squeezed
1/4 cup white wine (or sub with chicken broth)
Ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried parsley, or fresh chopped if you have it, for garnish
Extra green onion chopped, for garnish
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Make your rice or pasta ahead of time and keep warm, as well as make a salad or whatever green you want with this. Rinse the scallops and shrimp, and pat dry. Put in separate bowls, and season them to taste generously with paprika. I used the sweet Hungarian variety —  it packs a lot of flavor! In a large cast iron or heavy skillet, heat the oil and butter over high heat until fairly hot. You want to sear the scallops, not “steam” them. I ended up with half-seared and half-steamed, as you can see by the photo. You might want to do this in batches to achieve the seared effect, but I was impatient and stuck them all in at once.  Cook for about one minute,  (seriously!) and then flip them over and cook for about another minute more. With a slotted spoon, remove from skillet and place on a plate and tent to keep warm.

Simmering Scallops ~ I should have done in batches!

In the same skillet, add the garlic and green onion, reduce the heat to medium and saute for just a few minutes until the onion starts to soften and the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the lemon juice, white wine or chicken broth, then add the shrimp in a single layer. Season with ground black pepper to taste, and cook the shrimp for two minutes or so on each side. Basically after you get them all in, you’ll have to start flipping over the first ones you added over to cook on the other side. This is a quick process! Now dump in the scallops, then toss everything around until simmering again and warmed up. You don’t want to overcook these puppies, or they will get tough. Put on your quick dancing shoes for this dinner  (God Bless you Donna!), as it all goes quite fast. Remove from heat, garnish with dried or fresh parsley, green onion, lemon wedges, and serve it over rice, pasta, or just plop in a bowl and eat it and sop up with a crusty bread. And don’t forget your nice crisp side salad to balance it all out.

Bay Shrimp and Scallops Scampi