Description
A few years ago, we all went on vacation to Maine. We rented this small, cute cabin outside of Castine that was right on the water. Stairs led us down to the beach front. During high tide, the water came right up to the stairs. But during low tide, the water greatly receded, leaving little pockets of water between big rocks. We would go down everyday to see what new creatures we could find. This was the first time I saw a living sand dollar, deep purple with light fluffy spines. They were everywhere. It was so cool.
On this vacation, we took a day trip to Bar Harbor. Downtown Bar Harbor is designed for tourists, but it’s still super cute, lined with restaurants and novelty stores. One of the restaurants, Blaze, has amazing food. I’ve been twice. On this trip, I ordered scallop tacos that were absolutely to die for. So, like so much of my travels, I came home and recreated it.
I love scallops. With risotto, pasta, on their own, in soup, or in tacos. This dish is super simple, but the flavors are massively packed in there! They’re topped with a banh mi slaw made of carrots, parsnips, and kimchi. If you’ve never had kimchi, you are missing out! We get our kimchi from the local Asian market, but Whole Foods sells it too. Then a zesty aioli with the slightest hint of heat.
I don’t find that these need anything on the side. They’re filling and delicious on their own! Of course, you can pair them with French fries or rice if you want!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
16 to 24 scallops (2 to 3 scallops per taco)
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into matchsticks
½ cup kimchi, roughly chopped, juices retained
8 corn tortilla shells
½ cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 garlic cloves minced
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sriracha
salt and pepper
1 to 2 TBs olive oil
2 TBs butter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to it’s lowest setting.
In a medium bowl, combine the carrots, parsnips, kimchi and kimchi liquid.
Make the aioli by whisking together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, minced garlic, cayenne, and sriracha. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a medium frying pan. Fry the corn tortillas over medium heat, about 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and place on a plate in the oven. Repeat with all of the tortillas.
Salt and pepper the scallops on both sides.
If needed, add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the scallops. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn over. Add in the butter. Once melted, baste the scallops until cooked ~ about 2 minutes.
Arrange the tacos. Put aioli on the bottom of each taco, then add the slaw. Place 2 to 3 scallops per taco on top.
Eat!
Keywords: Seafood Saturday, Scallop Tacos, Banh Mi Slaw, Lemon Aioli