Vieiras con Albariño (Scallops with Albariño Wine)

For my birthday, my beautiful Angel, Clare, bought me the cookbook from Made in Spain, the show on the Public Broadcasting System hosted by local chef celebrity Jose Andres. I wanted to make a dinner for her using recipes from this book.  I chose two recipes, one of which was Vieiras con Albariño or Scallops with Albariño Wine.

The preparation of this dish is rather straightforward.  The first step is to prepare the marinade mixture.  Spoon a tablespoon or two of the mixture onto scallop shells, and perch a lightly breaded scallop on top. Place the scallop under the broiler until it is cooked and the breading is browned.

The only difficulty that could arise from making this dish is if you do not have scallop shells.  I had a couple scallop shells that I bought a while back.  They were serviceable, but not perfect.  As a suggestion for those who may not have scallop shells, I would put the breaded scallops on a baking sheet and broil them separately from the onion mixture, which should be kept warm in the pan.  Then you can plate the mixture on a small plate and top it with the cooked scallop.

VIEIRAS CON ALBARINO (SCALLOPS WITH ALBARINO WINE)

From Jose Andres, Made in Spain at 156

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
     (Spanish olive oil is suggested, but Italian or Greek works well too)
1 cup diced onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup Albariño wine, plus 2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon of finely chopped jamon
     (if you cannot find jamon, you can use proscuitto)
2 teaspoons of fresh flat leaf parsley
Sea Salt, to taste
8 scallops
3 tablespoons of fresh bread crumbs
     (if you do not have fresh bread crumbs, you can use panko bread crumbs)

Directions:

1. Prepare the onion mixture.  Heat the olive oil in a pan over low heat.  Add the onions and cook until golden brown, which should take about thirty minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the wine and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the wine is a deep golden brown.  Set aside and allow to cool.  Add the ham and parsley and season to taste with salt. 

2.  Cook the scallops.  Preheat the broiler. Using scallop shells, place about 1 tablespoon of the onion mixture on each shell and sprinkle with salt.  Divide the scallops amongst the shells and sprinkle with the remaining wine and cover with breadcrumbs.  Drizzle with olive oil and broil until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown and the scallops are cooked.  This should take about two to four minutes.  Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.

ENJOY!