Broiled Scallops

The other day when Mark was at a local meat market buying some fresh halibut for our dinner (another entry for another day), I asked him to pick up some scallops. I had just found a recipe in the Dec/Jan 2011 taste of home magazine for scallops, and I couldn't get it off my mind.

Tonight was an "On Your Own" night. We have those on occasion when we have kids going in all different directions. Mark and Lauren were at basketball practice, and Hunter was out with some church friends. That left me with the younger two. "On Your Own" night really just means I am not cooking any set meal. For my younger two, they went the chicken nugget route. (We did have some grapes and cheese too...does that make it any healthier?) For me, I decided the broiled scallops was a way to go.

I personally really liked them. Nobody else in the house even tried them (I didn't have many scallops to begin with). In fact, Lauren came in from practice wrinkling her nose at the smell. So this won't make it on my family menu. But I want to remember it for ME. Just in case some night I need a little treat for ME. :)

Broiled Scallops
Saute 2 green onions and one clove of garlic in 2 tsp of olive oil in a skillet until the onions/garlic are tender.

Add in the scallops. It was supposed to be 12 oz. I think I had less than that. Also add 2 tsp parsley and 1 tsp basil. You are supposed to use fresh ingredients here. The scallops were fresh, but the parsley/basil were not so much. They were dried. But it is what I had, so I went with it. :)

Cook (stirring constantly) over medium heat until the scallops are firm and opaque.

Add 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp white pepper. Okay, honest opinion here, I wouldn't add in the white pepper. I am pretty sure that was what kept burning my mouth and didn't settle well with me (heartburn). I think this would be fine without it...

Cook over medium low heat, uncovered, for one minute.

Put the scallops into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with 1/5 cup soft bread crumbs (I just chopped up a piece of bread). Dot with 2 tsp butter. (Honestly, I forgot this part and it was just fine without it)

Broil 4-6 inches from the heat until the bread crumbs are golden brown.

I made a single serving for me, and added in a cup of rice.

Yum.