Scallops-honey-sesame-mcb

When the Creative Cooking Crew decided to return this holiday season with a new twist—members create and manage the theme—I agreed to participate.

I even volunteered to host during the month of March (think bourbon).

But as the December 21 deadline approached, the only thing I did up to that point to prepare for the challenge was to share a WP honey article with the CCC chefs on Facebook to help inspire their honey recipe ideas for the challenge.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have honey—my local organic CSA provides a wildflower honey that I can’t buy enough of. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to cook, share, and connect. I did and I do. It’s not that I’m lazy or too busy. I’m not. And I’m the kind of person that the more I have to do, the more I get done.

Maybe it’s the madness of the holidays? Trying to find that balance between doing enough and doing less.

Well, whatever my excuses for being a slacker, doing less fits the recipe I chose for the December CCC Honey Challenge.

Honey-Sesame Scallops are fast, easy, and balance sweet with savory. Appetite required.

Scallops-honey-sesame-mcb

Honey-Sesame Scallops
Serves 2

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

2 tablespoons wildflower honey (clover is a good sub)

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Dash red chile flakes

Dash kosher salt

Dash ground black pepper

Dash rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 green onions, sliced or chopped

Soba noodles, cooked per package direction. Drained and rinsed.

one tablespoon canola oil

kosher salt

ground black pepper

8 scallops (10-20 count), side foot removed

  1. Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet on medium heat about four to five minutes or until golden. Shake the skillet often, careful not to burn.
  2. Add honey, soy, red chile flakes, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk.
  3. Add a splash of rice wine vinegar. Whisk.
  4. Drizzle oil into sauce slowly as you whisk to emulsify. Sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated to save time.
  5. Heat a large skillet on medium heat for several minutes or until the skillet feels hot when you hoover your hand over the surface.
  6. While the skillet heats, pat the scallops dry and season both flat sides with salt and pepper.
  7. Add the canola oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the surface.
  8. Place the scallops in the skillet, flat side down, careful not to crowd or the scallops will steam not sear. Work in batches if you use a small skillet.
  9. Sear the scallops for two minutes on each side. Less for smaller scallops.
  10. Mound the cooked soba noodles on a plate or in small bowls.
  11. Arrange the scallops on the soba noodles. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds and green onions over the scallops. Spoon the Honey Sauce over the scallops and noodles. Serve immediately.

Creative Cooking Crew