Another Composed Salad

After spending a month in Norway this summer (I just got back last week), I was struck by how frequently I saw a quintessential American ingredient: corn. Not on the cob, though. Kernels would appear in mixed salads, as would Asian-style baby corn ears.

I used some kernels from fresh corn the other day in a composed salad for dinner. I placed sliced avocado on a bed of lettuce (well, endive). Over that base I sprinkled the corn kernels, a little bit of chopped red onion and chopped mildly hot red pepper, dressing with a tiny bit of olive oil and juice from a freshly squeezed lime, finishing with couple twists of the pepper mill and two pinches of Maldon salt for crunch. Wonderful summer meal.

A Fat You Can Love

One of my favorite non-fruity fruits is the avocado. And you can do a lot more with it than make gaucamole.

A couple of weeks ago I picked up some gorgeous "dry" sea scallops at Wegman's in Cherry Hill (because they were on sale for $11.99/pound, about three bucks cheaper than usual, and decided to use them with Hass avocado (as opposed to the Caribbean version, sometimes called a Florida avocado or Flavocado).

Avocados are high in fat, so they are hardly a low calorie food. But its fat is largely monosaturated, like olive oil, so other than the calories it provides excellent nutrition.

I decided to do a classic summer dish that requires no cooking: ceviche.

I quartered the large scallops (one-quarter pound) and let them marinate for half an hour (no more, and you'll get mush) in the juice of two limes. I cut up some scallions (though just about any allium will do), chopped some cilantro, diced a couple tablespoons' worth of red bell pepper. I prepped the small, ripe avocado and cut it into small slices. The scallops and veggies were mixed together with some everything lime zest, salt (use kosher or, if you have it, Maldon salt for crunch), and a sprinkling of cayenne powder.

This recipe serves one. Simply multiply for additional servings.

A few words about scallops:

"Dry" scallops are worth the extra money you'll pay versus the normal or "wet" scallop. The latter are mixed with an additive encourages the scallop to retain water; this means the boat can stay at sea longer and the scallop has a longer shelf life. But it also means you're paying for the water, which not only dilutes the flavor but makes them impossible to sauté to obtain browning if you're pan frying or grilling. The "dry" scallops cost more because they contain less water; it also means that they are always fresher than the "wet" scallop and more flavorful. This is a case where spending more gets you more.

All scallops, wet or dry, usually come with a tough tendon attached to the side. No harm in eating it, but it's more elegant to trim it off before preparing any scallop recipe.