July 1: Scallop Burgers

1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops, patted dry
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
   Zest of 1 navel orange
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning or other seafood seasoning blend
   Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
   Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
   Crusty rolls, split and toasted
   Juice of 1/2 lemon
   Romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
1 navel orange, pith and peel removed, sliced into thin disks
   Cole slaw
   Chips

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat the broiler to high.

Place the scallops in a food processor and pulse to coarsely grind, then transfer to a bowl.

Add the shallots, parsley, orange zest, chives, Old Bay, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of EVOO.

Mix and form patties 3/4 to 1 inch thick and cook in the hot pan for 3 minutes on each side, or until just firm but with a bit of a give left. The patties should be evenly caramelized on both sides.

Drizzle the toasted buns with EVOO. Place the burgers on the bottoms of the buns and squeeze some lemon juice over each. Top with romaine, onions, and orange slices. Set the bun tops in place and serve with slaw and chips

4 SERVINGS

This is the variation on the swordfish burgers. I made this meal for lunch today because we're going on vacation this afternoon to Ohio. I used some of the leftover crusty bread instead of rolls because I halved the recipe and didn't want to buy a whole package of buns for 2 burgers. The scallops didn't really let you be able to form patties, so you just had to kind of pile the mixture in the pan. They were pretty good, but not worth the $10 I paid for the package of scallops. We also ran out of chips, so I served it with slaw and orange slices.