Well it is that time of the week again. Yup, Rachael Ray Wednesday, so I pulled out my trusty list of Rachael Ray recipes I wanted to try and this one popped right out at me. I just discovered my love of scallops a few years ago and now I can’t get enough of them. There is a little sushi place in town that makes a seared scallop that is so sweet it tastes like candy yummmmm.
I wondered about the flat iron steaks though. Like I have said in previous posts, Kevin is a ribeye kind of guy and no other steak makes him happy. But he has realized that, due to what I do, he has to open his mind up to at least give other steaks a try. Doesn’t mean he is happy about it, but he knows he has to. The sacrifices he makes for me.
This time the steaks surprised him. They were very tender and juicy. Part of that is that I cooked them very rare (as you can see by the picture), which we both like, but might not work for everyone. I just know the cheaper the cut of meat, the tougher it can be, and cooking it beyond medium rare just seems to make it worse.
I will say not to try this recipe unless you can find the nice big fat diver scallops. I tried it with the little prefrozen ones that Albertson’s had and they were just too hard to cook the right way. They weren’t round with the nice flat sides like I am used to so keeping the sesame seeds on the right part of the scallop and searing the two sides was near to impossible. Plus the recipe calls for you to cook the scallops off before you even start the steaks. My suggestion is to wait to cook the scallops until the steaks are done and resting. They have to rest for 5 minutes so that is perfect. You can cook the slaw and the scallops at the same time and WALA everything is ready to go at the same time.
Also, the slaw recipe calls for 1 to 3 tablespoons of Asian hot chili sauce or hot sauce. We use Sriracha at our house and we do like things hot, but I used the 3 tablespoons and woohooooo it was ummmm ya pretty dang hot! I recommend using 1 when you cook and then adding more later if you like.
All in all we liked this recipe, I just know to wait for the good scallops next time.
2 inches of ginger root, grated
1/4 cup teriyake sauce
4 (6to 7-ounce) flat iron steaks
1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
Vegetable oil, for drizzling plus three tablespoons
12 sea scallops
4 to 5 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
4 to 5 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 small napa cabbage chopped into 1 1/2 inch dice
1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch sticks then 2 to 3 inch pieces
1 to 3 tablespoons Asian hot chili sauce or hot sauce, to your taste
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 limes, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Combine the ginger and teriyaki in a shallow dish. Rub steaks with a little grill seasoning and turn in teriyaki sauce and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Wipe pan with a thin layer of vegetable oil.
Pat scallops dry. Combine the sesame and chives and roll the sides of the scallops in the mixture. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Sear scallops 2 to 3 minutes on each side to caramelize them. Remove scallops to a plate and drizzle with sesame oil and serve.
Heat a large skillet with a couple tablespoons vegetable oil over high heat. Add steaks and cook 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove and let steaks rest for 5 minutes. Add the cabbage to the pan and stir fry 2 minutes then add the onions, garlic, cook a minute or 2, add cucumbers and hot sauce, salt and pepper, vinegar, lime zest and juice.
Slice steaks very thin on an angle and serve on hot and spicy cabbage salad, garnish with cilantro.
Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen 