Cornmeal-Crusted Scallops with Mint Chimichurri

Today's recipe is not my typical dinner. For instance, some nights a decent sized bowl of popped corn with sour cream and chive seasoning is sufficient. However... having just recently finished all of my undergrad class after 4 years of assignments, tests, and projects, I  thought I would splurge and make a nicer dinner with a friend.

From: The Best of Cooking Light- Everyday Favorites

Cornmeal-Crusted Scallops with Mint Chimichurri

Fun Fact: Chimichurri is a thick herb sauce commonly made with parsley and oregano, and served with grilled meat in South American cuisine. Mint gives this version a more delicate tast, making it perfect for seafood. Serve over a bed of rice to soak up the flavourful sauce.

Chimichurri: (super fun word to say)
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp water
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp minced seeded serrano chile (I was too lazy to actually find this stuff, but chili flakes seemed to add the 'swiftiest' of kicks.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 garlic clove

Scallops:
3 tbsp yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 lbs sea scallops
1 tbsp olive oil
Green onion strips

1. To prepare chimichurri throw all the ingredients into a food processor (ah-ha! food processors do actually have a purpose). If you don't have a food processor because you've realized they were a fad of the 90's and an absoute pain in the butt to clean, a blender would work fine. Set this aside.

2. Preparing the stinky scallops!  (Sidenote... living many miles away from the coast, I have this weird paranoia about buying 'fresh' seafood in Alberta. I mean, it really can't be that 'fresh'. But, I figured for this recipe I would just have to get over it. Little did I know how bloody expensive scallops are!! I probably won't be making this again.)

1. Coat the scallops in the cornmeal. 

2. Heat oil over med-high heat and plop in the scallops.

3. Fry scallops for about 3 minutes on each side until it browns. Flip 'em over and brown the other side. 

4. Serve the scallops with a rice blend and top with chimichurri and onion slices. 

Overall, this was a pretty easy recipe and great for the wealth scallop lover. 

Some things I learned:
1. Scallops are the 'fishy' kind of seafood.
2. Leftover chimichurri tastes great in a bean salad.
3. Making onion slices is more fun than one would think.
4. I don't like the texture of scallops.

Check out what we had for dessert! Lemon roll with blueberries...