Hello friends. I’ve never hidden that blogging has changed my life, and many of the people I’ve met through it have changed me as well. If you don’t blog, it can be hard to understand that passion. Take a moment to read an inspiring post by my friend Caitlin about the power of words — she’s the kind of writer I hope to become. How has blogging changed your life?
Last week I slacked a bit on cooking. I got sucked into Saved By The Bell reruns—90s hair and MC Hammer pants—and didn’t want to leave my couch or my oversized college sweatpants. The guy I live with started whining about the lack of pre-made lunches and dinners, so I got back on track.
I felt bad because creativity in the kitchen had run dry for the past few weeks. The Protein King endured dinner after dinner of chicken and burgers. He didn’t complain much, but I wanted to spice things up.
So I made this fantastic scallop dish.
Bouncing around the kitchen in sweatpants and a huge sweatshirt, I knew I was bringing sexy back with this meal. It was delicious. We served it with some pasta, which was an excellent complement.
I caramelized mango, red cabbage, and shallots with a good balsamic vinegar to make a sweet-savory slaw. I loved this slaw and will definitely make it again — and yes, it includes a vegetable.
I’d never really tried red cabbage before. You’d think its beautiful purple color would appeal to me, given my tendency to adore bright and shiny things. But caramelizing it with mango and shallots transformed it into something I truly enjoyed.
Seared Scallops with Caramelized Mango Slaw
Ingredients:
– 1 lb fresh scallops
– 1/8 teaspoon salt
– 1/4 teaspoon pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
– 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
– 1/2 mango, sliced very thin
– 1/4 red cabbage, sliced very thin
– 1 shallot, thinly sliced
– 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions:
1. Pat scallops dry and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add scallops in a single layer. Sear until golden brown on each side, about 3–4 minutes per side depending on size, then remove from the pan.
2. In a separate skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced mango, shallot, and red cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8–10 minutes until the cabbage softens and the mango begins to caramelize.
3. Add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and cook for another 4–5 minutes so the flavors meld and the vinegar reduces slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
4. Plate the mango slaw and top with the seared scallops. Serve with rice or pasta on the side.
Needless to say, my husband was very pleased. The scallops were incredible over the sweet, tangy slaw. I’m pretty sure he’s now hoping those awful sweatpants disappear from my wardrobe, but for one more night of easy comfort cooking, I kept them on.