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Preserved Lemon Dressing

I had a delicious preserved lemon dressing when I was visiting and cooking for my dear friends Bill and Prudence Finn in Martha’s Vineyard. The dressing brightened the whole dish, and it was very memorable. The dressing cuts through the richness of the scallops in this recipe. 

Preserved lemons are available in stores or you can make them at home.

Ingredients

Makes 1/2 cup of dressing

• 1 full preserved lemon rind, rinsed and chopped with seeds and internal flesh discarded
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine preserved lemon rind, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, Dijon, olive oil, salt and pepper in a blender.

Scallops

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as vegetable oil
• 6 scallops, muscle removed and patted dry on all sides
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped hazelnuts, optional
• 6 oz greens, such as watercress, baby spinach or arugula
• Pretty vegetables to garnish, such as thinly sliced radishes, microgreens

INTRUCTIONS

• Line a plate with a layer of paper towels. Set aside.
• Heat pan over high heat until it starts smoking a little. 
• Add scallops and cook for 40-60 seconds on each side, until golden brown. 
• Using a spatula, move the scallop onto the towel-lined plate. 
• Turn off the heat, and the pan will still be hot. 
• Add the hazelnuts and cook until fragrant and toasty, a few minutes. Remove and set aside. 
• Add the greens and cook until just wilted. 
• Add 1 tablespoon dressing into the warm pan and toss with the greens.
• Plate greens with the scallops and hazelnuts. Garnish as much as you would like.