Oceanaire’s Scallops with Wasabi Mashed Potato

(from AmericnJewl’s recipe box)

This dish comes fromo ne of DC’s most delicious seafood restaurants, The Oceanaire. No doubt the biggest trick to replicating Oceanaire’s scallops is finding the freshest possible. Barring a close relationship with a wholesale distributor the best option you have is to strike up a conversation with a local seafood retailer. Simply ask when their scallops arrived and then ask to give them a sniff. If the answer was today, and you only smell the sea (no fishy or pungent odors) then you can be relatively certain that your scallops are of the highest quality possible.

Source: DCist.com

Serves 4 people

Categories: Asian, entree, seafood, side dish

Ingredients

  • 12 Sea Scallops
  • 1 large Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 large Green Bell Pepper
  • 1 small Daikon (Chinese Radish)
  • 2 Large Carrots
  • 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Honey
  • 1 medium Orange
  • 1 large Shallot, diced
  • 2 large russet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoonsWasabi powder**
  • 4 tablespoonsButter
  • Heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

  1. Start by peeling and cutting your potatoes into large cubes. Boil in salted water until fork tender, but not falling apart. You’ll also need to add a tablespoon of the wasabi powder to enough hot water to form a paste, and set aside.

  2. While the potatoes are cooking, you can start the garnish. A professional would utilize a mandolin, which makes quick work of consistent and thin slicing and dicing. If we could justify the tool’s high price we’d be eating at Oceanaire a bit more often. A suitable alternative is a sharp knife and a whole lot of patience.

  3. Fill a bowl with ice water to keep everything fresh while slicing the carrots, peppers, and daikon into matchstick-sized slices. If you’re feeling giddy and can get them thinner, go for it. Throw the freshly sliced vegetables into the ice bath and place in the fridge while you start the dressing.

  4. In a small bowl whisk together 4 teaspoons freshly squeezed orange juice with 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and a teaspoon of the shallot, finely diced. Whisk the mixture vigorously while slowly drizzling in 1/4 cup olive oil to emulsify. Set dressing aside.

  5. While heating a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, sparingly season the scallops on both sides with salt and pepper. Also use this time to finish your potatoes, which should now be cooked through. Thoroughly drain and place in a large bowl. While breaking the potatoes down with a masher or hand mixer, add 4 tablespoons of softened butter and heavy cream until you reach your desired consistency. At this point, you can start to add the wasabi sparingly, tasting as you go. The goal is to give the mash the essence of the plant without overpowering. If your potatoes start to turn green you’ve certainly gone far enough. We ended up with about 2 teaspoons as our final amount but this will entirely depend on the strength of wasabi you are using and the size of the potatoes you started with.

  6. After adding 2 tablespoons of oil to a hot pan gently place in each scallop making sure to maintain adequate spacing. If your scallops are large they should require six minutes of cooking time. Four minutes on the first side and two on the second should be perfect. Your goal is a nice golden caramelization on the outside, while maintaining just a bit of translucence on the inside (think medium-rare to medium).

  7. As your scallops finish, plate the wasabi mash in six small portions on two plates, making a ring and leaving space in the center. Place one scallop on each pile of potatoes before quickly tossing the salad with the dressing and placing in the center. Work quickly to make sure everything stays warm, and serve immediately.

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