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Rania's Recipe: Scallops With Corn & Merguez Salsa & Spinach Sauce

Rania Harris stopped by PTL to show off another delicious recipe today that will surely be a big hit with your family and friends!

Scallops and corn salsa:

  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • ½ small red onion, finely diced
  • 2-3/4 ounces piquillo peppers, or any jarred roasted red peppers, cut into ½-inch dice
  • 2 large celery stalks, cut into 1/5-inch dice
  • 1/3 ounce tarragon, finely chopped
  • ¾ ounce cilantro leaves, finely chopped
  • Finely grated zest of 2 limes, plus 1-1/2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 red chile, seeded and finely chopped
  • 10 ounces uncooked lamb merguez sausages
  • 30 sea scallops
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Coarse sea salt and black pepper

Sorrel Sauce:

  • 2-1/2 ounces baby spinach leaves
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Sumac Cream:

  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons sumac
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Start with the sauces. Place the baby spinach leaves, rice vinegar, and olive oil in the small bowl of a food processor along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of water. Blend until smooth and set aside in the fridge.

Place the sour cream in a small bowl with the sumac, olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine and keep in the fridge.

To make the scallops and salsa, place a large frying pan over high heat with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. When hot, add the corn and fry for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Don't worry if a few of the kernels turn black; they will give the salsa a nice smoky flavor. Remove from the heat, transfer to a medium bowl, and set aside to cool. Add the onion, piquillo peppers, celery, tarragon, cilantro, lime zest and juice, chile, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1-1/4 teaspoons of salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Set aside.

When ready to eat, wipe out the frying pan and place it over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. When the oil is smoking, add the sausages and cook for between 8 and 12 minutes, depending on their thickness, until they are cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer the sausages to a paper towel-lined plate to cool. Cut cross-wise into ¾-inch pieces and mix through the corn salsa.

Wipe the pan clean again, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan, and place of medium-high heat. Toss the scallops with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of salt and a good crack of black pepper. Use your hands to coat the scallops with the oil, then, when the pan is hot, press half of the scallops firmly down in the pan. Cook for about 4 minutes – the timing will depend on the scallops' size – turning once halfway through, until they are just cooked and golden brown. Remove from the heat, repeat with remaining scallops, and squeeze over the lemon juice.

To serve, spoon the spinach sauce into the bottoms of six serving plates. Top with the corn salsa and arrange the scallops on top. Serve at once, with the sumac cream alongside.

Serves 6

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