Chile-Crusted Scallops with Cucumber Salad

This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.

Heat Scale
Submit Recipe

Ingredients:

Cucumber salad:

2 medium cucumbers
1/2 cup salted roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
2 scallions (white and light green parts), thinly sliced
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/8 tsp. salt

Chile-crusted scallops:

1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 Tbsp. minced seeded serrano chile
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 pound dry sea scallops

Instructions:

To prepare salad:

Peel and seed the cucumbers. Quarter them lengthwise and slice 1/4″ thick. Combine the cucumbers, cashews, scallions, lemon juice, oil, parsley and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

To prepare scallops:

Toast the cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the seeds to a cutting board and let them cool, then coarsely chop. Combine the cumin seeds, chile, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Rinse the scallops and pat dry. Rub the scallops with the spice mixture and thread them onto four 12″ skewers.

Preheat a grill to medium-high and oil the grill rack. Grill the scallops until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Carefully remove the scallops from the skewers and serve the scallops warm with some of the cucumber salad.

Yields 4 servings.

Recipe from EatingWell.com.