GCC Scallop & Pesto Crostini

We love scallops; grilled, sautéd, with a rich tarragon sauce, wrapped in bacon...you name the preparation we'll likely love them. So when the Gutsy Cook Club menu included these Scallop & Pesto Crostini we knew we would want to make them.

We've both been under the weather the past few days but it wasn't raining & we felt like getting out of the house might make us feel amongst the living again so we walked up to Metropolitan Market, also called the met by our local friends. We almost always turn to the Met's fish monger anytime we buy seafood, unless it's available fresh at the farmers market, no luck for that in mid February here. The Met just ensures quality fresh seafood which really makes a difference. I often think people who think they don't like seafood either haven't had quaility seafood or it wasn't prepared properly.

We bought 6 lovely large sea scallops, (bay scallops are an option we'd never turn to. Once you've ever tried a sea scallop bay scallops are just not comparable.) we picked up a baguette and some fresh basil and we were set to walk back home in the very blustery wind.

Once ready to prepare the Crostini, G was wiped from the walk; he's caught this crud a bit more than me unfortunately, I sliced off 12 bread slices and broiled each side until brown on the edges.

Ready, Set..Crostini

 Then when out of the oven rubbed each piece with garlic and brushed with olive oil. The recipe called for sun dried tomato paste. I wasn't quite sure what this was so I just chopped some sun dried tomatoes in their oil in my manual food chopper until it had a paste like consistency. I then smeared each bread slice with half store purchased pesto & the sun dried tomato paste.

I then started the scallops. I've learned over time the most important thing when cooking scallops is that they are dry before you cook them, this can take some work if they have been frozen, today ours were not so it wasn't too much of an issue. But I still patted them with paper towels because if they are wet you'll never get that seared nice color. I heated my pan and added olive oil until it was hot enough to add the scallops. I let the scallops cook long enough to get a good brown seared color on the side before flipping. Just before pulling from the heat I squeezed the lemon & added salt and pepper.

Scallops searing...should of used cast iron skillet...forgot!

I sliced each scallop in half and topped each of the smeared bread slices and then added a small basil leaf to each Crostini....voila!

Scallops ready to be sliced

The scallops were sweet and creamy and depending on which side of the bread you bit into it was either complimented by the mild pesto or the more rich sun dried tomato taste.

We paired them with a bottle of 2008 Goose Ridge Chardonnay purchased again during our annual Tri Cities wine trip.

Goose Ridge Vineyards 2010

 Chardonnay isn't our favorite varietal normally and especially oaked Chardonnay, we tend to go more for a crisp stainless type. But for some reason while visiting the vineyard during our first stop of the trip this Chardonnay tasted great so I picked a few bottles. I definitely tasted the oak immediately with the first taste tonight. But it complimented the creamy, sweet scallops quite well.

I'm not sure our very congested palates allowed us to fully enjoy the experience but we hate being sick and tried to just pretend we weren't with this small treat.