Rosemary Skewered Scallops in Duck Fat
- nathan
- appetizers
- Serves: 6 Servings
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cooking: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 min
So for Christina's birthday each year I try to do something special. Last year we had all of her friends over and had a 3 course dinner with a wine pairing. This year, we went out to dinner at Ai Fiori in manhattan and it was superb. One of Chef Michael White's restaurants, it boasts a contemporary midtown steakhouse vibe but with a strict emphasis on excellent service and a incredible flavors.
The dinner was perfect and we were lucky enough to share it with Christina's parents who were in town. However, I felt that it wasn't really from ME since I hadn't done any of the cooking. It did, however, inspire me to create some new dishes and alter a few to really add in some stellar flavors and round out our arsenal of amazing home-cooked fancy food.
Ingredients
Directions
Take the scallops and rinse them in cold water, then pat dry with a paper towel. Take 6 sprigs of rosemary and using the sharper end of the rosemary, skewer the scallops right through the middle using the rosemary.
In a large skillet, render out your 3 tbsp of duck fat on low for about 5 minutes until it returns to liquid and gently sizzles. Meanwhile, pick out all the seeds from your pomegranate if you haven't done so already.
Mash up about 1/2 of your pomegranate seeds and strain the juice into a small skillet. Turn the skillet to high heat and stir constantly to reduce the pomegranate juice down to a saucy consistency. Make sure not to reduce it too much or it will become syrupy, whereas we just want to thicken it. While the sauce reduces, turn your skillet with the duck fat back on high and place each scallop in it. Sear the scallops for about 1 minute on each side, and using a spoon continuously rinse the tops in duck fat to baste the flavor onto them.
Place the scallops down on a small plate and top with fresh pomegranate seeds and fresh cracked pepper. Drizzle the pomegranate reduction around the edges and serve immediately. Enjoy!
