Recipe from BBQ Bistro: Simple, Sophisticated French Recipes for Your Grill by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig
Planked Scallops with Pistachio Butter. Photo credit: Steve Legato
Authors Karen Adler and Judith Fertig (“The BBQ Queens”) on Planked Scallops:
Show your grilling savoir faire with this easy recipe that looks and tastes like you worked all day. Nap these planked scallops with the wonderful pistachio butter that has all the flavor of a fancy sauce, but it’s no-cook! Just stir the ingredients together for a colorful and delicious compound butter that you dot over the scallops. Bread is a must for sopping everything up. Shrimp or prawns are easy to substitute for the scallops if you prefer. Other compound butters can be used instead of the pistachio butter.
Planked Scallops with Pistachio Butter
Featured Recipe From: BBQ Bistro: Simple, Sophisticated French Recipes for Your Grill
Baking planks are thicker than grilling planks and have a hollow groove carved out of the wood. This groove is perfect for holding butter or sauces on the plank versus the saucy concoctions spilling off the flat grill planks.
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
1 cedar or oak baking plank, soaked in water for at least 1 hour
1 pound (450 g) large sea scallops, about 16
1 loaf crusty French or Italian bread
Pistachio Butter*
1⁄2 cup (125 ml) roasted, shelled pistachios
1⁄2 cup (125 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Kosher salt
*Makes about 2⁄3 cup (150 ml)
Directions:
For the Pistachio Butter, finely grind the pistachios in a food processor or by hand. Mix with the softened butter in a medium-size bowl and season with salt.
Prepare an indirect hot fire in your grill, with the fire on one side and no fire on the other.
Place the scallops on the baking plank. Dollop 1 rounded teaspoon of the Pistachio Butter onto each scallop.
Place the planked scallops on the indirect side or no-heat side of the grill. Close the lid and plank-cook until the scallops are firm and just opaque, about 20 minutes, turning the plank 180 degrees halfway through the cooking time.
Serve immediately on the planks with the remaining butter and crusty bread.
Variation
Plank-Roasting in the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place the planked scallops in the middle of the oven and close the door. Reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the scallops are firm and just opaque.
© 2015 Karen Adler and Judith Fertig
Reprinted with permission from BBQ Bistro: Simple, Sophisticated French Recipes for Your Grill by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig (Running Press; April 2015; $20.00/trade paperback; ISBN; 978-0-7624-5454-9). www.runningpress.com
Print RecipeAlso from BBQ Bistro: recipe for Venison Tenderloin with Blackberry Brandy Beurre Blanc
Venison Tenderloin with Blackberry Brandy Beurre Blanc. Photo credit: Steve Legato
I don’t know why I never thought to make pistachio butter before! This has got to be an amazing recipe! I’m going to give it a go this weekend… I’ll check back to let you know how it turned out. :)
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Dee, Cooks&Books&Recipes replied: — March 25th, 2015 @ 10:06 pm
My thought exactly: pistachio butter? duh! I would love to hear how your dish turned out and what you think, Naomi. ~Dee
I never thought of pistachio butter, what a great idea! I love the simplicity of this recipe.
Thanks, Danielle. Simplicity always wins for me. This is versatile too: we tried the butter on grilled steak. So good!
You’ll know when the scallops have browned enough when they can be lifted with your spatula without ruinous sticking.