Scallops Steamed in Foil
Come summer, there’s nothing I enjoy more than grilling dinner and watching the sun set on our patio with John. Perhaps the best thing about grilled summer meals is how easily they come together, leaving you more time to enjoy the weather and good company. I started making this scallop recipe back in grad school on a tiny camping grill on my tiny deck, and years later it’s the first meal I crave as soon as warm evenings set in. We made it last night and discussed a few potential future adjustments (searing the scallops, making more broth on the stove for soaking our French bread), but even at its simplest, steamed in foil packets, it’s a longtime favorite.
Scallops Steamed in Foil
10 sea scallops
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1 cup of frozen corn, thawed
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup basil, chopped into thin strips
6 tablespoons of dry white wine (I always use a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces
Salt and pepper
Light a grill to medium-high heat. Cut two pieces of heavy aluminum foil, crease all four sides to form an open pouch. In the center of each foil packet, add 3 tablespoons of wine, 1 tablespoon olive oil, half the butter pieces and 1/2 the sliced shallot. Top with the scallops, spinach, tomatoes, corn and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sides of the foil pouch up to meet and fold to enclose. Grill the foil pouches until the steam inflates them and you can hear the juices boiling, exactly 10 minutes. Do not leave on longer than 10 minutes or the scallops will over cook. Remove the packets from the grill. Carefully open the packets to let the steam escape. Carefully transfer the entire ingredients from the foil packets into shallow soup bowls and serve immediately with French bread.
*Recipe adapted from Food & Wine.