Roasting cherry tomatoes in a low temperature oven along with olive oil, fresh herbs, diced yellow pepper and sliced garlic not only perfumes the tomatoes but helps them to slowly release their natural sweetness and become incredibly tender. This is exactly what I decided to do with cherry tomatoes as the base of a seared scallop dish. The herb I went with was oregano (a classic accompaniment to tomatoes) and in addition to the garlic, olive oil and peppers, a splash of balsamic vinaigrette towards the end of cooking. This gave the ragout a bit of tang which paired very nicely with the dish as a whole; serve this lovely dish with freshly shaved Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, and some buttery pine nuts for crunch.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Seared Scallops with Slow-Roasted Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes (preferably organic)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ cup diced yellow bell pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 8 jumbo sea scallops
- Olive oil for pan
- Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Pine nuts, for serving
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Arrange the cherry tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer; toss with the oregano, garlic, diced peppers, olive oil and the salt and pepper. Roast, tossing the tomatoes occasionally with a spatula, for 1 hour, or until they begin to blister. Add in the balsamic vinegar, and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
- When you are just about ready to serve dinner, season each scallop with a pinch of salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet. Sear the scallops over high heat in the oiled pan for 1 ½ minutes on 1 side, then flipping and cooking an additional 30 seconds.
- Serve the seared scallops on top of the tomato ragout, along with shavings of cheese and some pine nuts.
Tagged: balsamic tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, cherry tomatoes, fresh oregano, garlic, Pecorino, pine nuts, roasted cherry tomatoes, scallops, sea scallops, seared scallops, shellfish, yellow bell pepper
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