Big Joe's orange jalapeno scallops recipe

Summer is a time when many of us try to eat light meals that are supposed to be healthy for us. The heat has a tendency to temporarily remove our hunger.

I love this dish that has a citrus base with a little heat. I like the sea scallops for this dish because they are bigger and easier to cook and if cooked correctly have the same texture as a “meaty” fish.

Adjust the heat and citrus to your liking and enjoy this great summer meal.

Make sure that your scallops are fresh. They should have a very faint fish smell. If they have a strong smell or any trace of ammonia smell, stay away from them.

Ingredients:

15 fresh sea scallops, cleaned with the small muscle flap removed
3 tablespoons of olive oil
3 tablespoons of orange marmalade
3 oranges
¼ cup of white wine
1 tablespoon of habanera-infused honey (If you don’t have any already infused 1 tablespoon of honey with two or three slices of jalapenos’ will do)
2 bags of spinach
¼ stick of butter
Salt and pepper to taste

How to put it together:

Wash and clean spinach. In a large sauté pan on medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 pats of butter. Add spinach and start to sauté. Wash and pat dry scallops with a paper towel. Make sure that scallops are dry.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to non-stick pan on high heat. Once pan is hot, add scallops cook on one side until brown (about 3 minutes) flip over scallops and cook on other side about 2 minutes, remove scallops and set aside.

Deglaze pan, add wine, marmalade and honey, whisk or use wooden spoon so that honey and marmalade blend well. Add the juice of 2 oranges, reduce, add remaining butter, mix, and then add scallops for about 1 – 2 minutes.

Remove and place on bed of sautéed spinach. Drizzle orange mixture over scallops and garnish with the slices from the third orange. Serves 4.

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