Recipe for SCALLOPS IN A NEST - Martinsville Bulletin

SCALLOPS IN A NEST
Entrees
Contributed by: JANET ASHBY
Ingredients: 1 large onion 12 large fresh scallops 1 very small very ripe cantaloupe Ground ginger 1â�„2 cup fresh tomato sauce 1 or 2 TBS sugar 1 to 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 egg, beaten Toasted sesame seeds Olive oil Butter Peanut oil Salt and pepper Hot spiced vinegar
Peel and slice onion and set aside. Pat dry scallops and put aside. Remove seeds and skin from cantaloupe. Put flesh in blender to make a puree, adding a pinch or two of ground ginger to taste. Spread a thin layer of this puree on four plates.Â Â In a small saucepan, add about 1â�„2 cup of tomato sauce. Bring to a gentle boil. Add a tablespoon or two of sugar and stir well to dissolve. Add about 1â�„4 cup spicy vinegar and mix well. Reduce this by boiling rapidly for several minutes until you make a ketchup. Put aside. In a large bowl, put a cup or two of the flour with a generous amount of salt and pepper to taste and mix well.Â Â In a small bowl beat the egg, and in another small bowl, empty quite a lot of the toasted sesame seeds. Heat a skillet to medium. Coat it with olive oil and a bit of butter. Toss scallops in seasoned flour, remove and dip in beaten egg. Remove and roll in sesame seeds, then carefully place in skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes per side, turning only once (seeds come off with too much turning). At the same time scallops are cooking, heat peanut oil in a deep fryer or a deep frying pan with a lot of oil in it. This should be a medium heat. Toss onions in seasoned flour, making sure they are all coated. Gently shake off excess flour and carefully put in pan or fryer and cook for a minute or two until lightly golden. Shake off oil and put a small amount fried onions on each plate on top of the cantaloupe puree.Â Gently remove scallops from skillet and place 3 on each plate, on top of onions. Put ketchup in a small squirt bottle and drizzle a small amount over each plate.
(This recipe was contributed as part of a "Cook of the Week" feature.)