This is one of my signature dishes I have made several times and it always gets better. A few nights ago one of my roommates asked me to teach him to cook so he can impress his wife for Hallmark day..oh sorry, Valentine's Day. This dish immediately came to mind because I've made it for girls in the past and they LOVED it. So a few nights ago we went to the market an came back to start his 1st cooking lesson. I'm sorry I didn't take any pics through the process, but V-Day is still a month away and he still needs more practice so I'll take more pics next time.
So on with the recipe......
1 Whole Red Snapper, scaled and filleted then cut into 4 pieces
½ pound Bay Scallops
1 roll pre-made polenta cut into ½ inch thick disks (available at Trader Joe’s) or small batch of soft polenta
1 Recipe Rum Glaze
1 Recipe Jicama Salsa
RUM GLAZE:
1 Qt Orange Juice ½ Cup Spiced Rum (i.e. Captain Morgan)
½ Cup Brown Sugar ½ Cup Honey
¼ Cup Cider Vinegar 1 Habanero, halved
2 Cloves Garlic ½ Small Onion
1 Cinnamon Stick 4 Cloves
1 Teaspoon Ground Allspice 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
In sauce pan add OJ and spices. Reduce until ½ cup. Strain. In other saucepan sauté’ onion and garlic until lightly brown. Add Brown Sugar and Honey, stir until dissolved. Add OJ, vinegar, half the rum and the habanero. Bring to a slight boil and simmer until syrupy consistency. Keep warm.
Jicama Salsa:
1 Medium to Large Heirloom Tomato, diced 1 Large or 2 Small Avocados, diced
½ Small Jicama, cut into thick Julienne 1 can crushed pineapple, drained and juice reserved
¼ cup Chopped Cilantro Juice of 2 Limes
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Combine tomato, avocado, cilantro, pineapple, and lime juice, splash of pineapple juice, and salt and pepper. Toss in jicama right before serving to ensure crispness.
To Serve:
Pre-heat oven to 200®. In skillet heat pat of butter in some vegetable oil. When smoking add polenta. Sauté until brown and flip. Place in oven to keep warm. If you have 2 pans sauté scallops and snapper in butter in both pans simultaneously. If not sauté the snapper skin side down until golden brown. Flip. Cook until done, around 3 minutes. Put in oven to stay warm. Then sauté scallops until brown, around 3-4 minutes. Take polenta and snapper out of oven. In shallow bowl or a rimmed plate place spoonful of sauce in center. Place polenta disk on top. Followed by snapper skin side up. Spoon glaze on top. Place scallops around base of dish. Top with salsa.
The Finished Product.......
