Scallops

When good friends who live in Washington telephoned recently to say that they would be in town for several days, I immediately marked a date on the calendar when we could get together. Originally, I had thought that we might dine out, but while testing recipes this past week, I realized that a new dish I had been working on would make a perfect entree to serve four. That recipe was for sauteed scallops dusted in smoked paprika, served atop a mound of saffron and orange-scented couscous.

This Shrimp and Scallop Gumbo is a variation on the ones I grew up eating during my childhood in the South. For my version, I used more vegetables than in traditional gumbos. Chopped onions and green peppers are staples, but I also added sweet red peppers, carrots and celery for extra flavor and texture. Also, instead of making this classic soup with a single shellfish, I combined shrimp and scallops.Although the recipe is for four portions, it can easily be doubled or tripled and would make a delicious entree for a buffet.

Few Chinese restaurants in town have as grand an appearance as Tony Cheng's, located in a stately mansion on Charles Street. Walk through the round archway to the spacious back dining room, and you'll find tables dressed in pink tablecloths and bright-red exotic blooms.Waterfowl are worked in tapestry on banquettes and etched in glass between wood-trimmed booths. Shirred fabric lines a curved wall, an effect elegant enough for the White House. Aside from the out-of-place Christmas decorations, it's a room that raises expectations.

If asked to choose my favorite shellfish, without hesitation I'd pick scallops. These sweet, succulent morsels were a discovery I made as a young adult. My family indulged in shrimp and crab dishes and, for occasions, we ordered lobsters, but scallops never graced our table.I was in my 20s on a visit to France when I tasted these sublime mollusks for the first time. I've been a fan ever since.Today, when entertaining, I love to include scallops in my menus. I offer as appetizers skewered scallops wrapped in prosciutto with seasonings of lemon and rosemary.

"Redbook Flavor Rules!" (Hearst Books, $24.95) serves up a lively variety of ideas for making tasty meals at a streamlined pace.Golden Sea Scallops on Vegetable "Pappardelle" is among about 250 recipes the book features, from appetizers through desserts. The book's pages also are packed with loads of smart tips, helpful hints and color photos. All the recipes come with estimates of how long they'll take and how many calories and grams of fat they contain.This recipe for scallops will take 15 minutes to prepare and about 20 minutes to cook.

Several months ago, I tasted an incredible soup during a visit to the Cotswolds in England. I was having lunch at the Lords of the Manor, a 17th-century inn in the little town of Upper Slaughter, and ordered their potato and leek soup. The potage arrived piping hot with a single plump, pan-seared scallop as the only garnish. The dish was outstanding.After returning home, I intended to reproduce that soup but never got around to it. However, last week, I picked up some asparagus for an evening meal.

Ever read food articles in which the writer is extolling the fresh, briny taste of some freshly caught seafood?These stories always make my mouth water. The writer, of course, is sitting in a cafe, overlooking a waterfront. The delicacy practically jumps from the net onto his plate. The waiter brings the perfect wine, costing pennies, and the writer is blissed out. The scene is set in the south of Spain, Portugal or France. It certainly isn't in the parking lot of your supermarket.No matter what the quality of your fish counter, it isn't nearly as romantic.

CHINCOTEAGUE BAY -- It began as an experiment, almost a lark. A curious crew of state shellfish biologists wondered whether they could bring back a healthy population of bay scallops here, more than 60 years after an aquatic plague wiped them out.Mark Homer didn't mean to fall in love. But when 36 iridescent blue eyes met his two green ones, he was a goner."They're cute," said Homer, who has spent the past two years watching over the 1.2 million hatchery-bred bay scallops he has tucked away in a secret, sheltered spot.

As the Chinese New Year on Friday welcomes in the year of the Ox, consider this simple and exotic celebration, fit for a king. This recipe not only says fresh but has a kick from the chilies as well as gorgeous colors.As a side dish, serve plain white rice. Have that cooking while you prepare and organize the components for the speedy stir-fry.Fortune cookies are fun for dessert. Serve them with some juicy fresh tiny tangerines called Clementines.Stir-fried salmon, scallops and shrimp with fresh chiliesServes 41 tablespoon canola oil8 ounces cubed salmon fillet8 ounces bay or sea scallops8 ounces medium peeled shrimpSAUCE:1 to 2 fresh chili peppers, about 1-inch long (optional)

I like the most recent additions to Little Italy. The new restaurants are small and personable, with good food and affable staffs. Baltimore's most famous neighborhood now ranks up there with Harborplace as one of the city's top tourist attractions. But the new places like Il Porto hearken back to the small, informal, family-run eateries that used to be on every block.Il Porto's owners might be surprised to hear their restaurant described that way. They're clearly going for a sophisticated look: The freshly renovated bar-restaurant is done in white and black and decked out with contemporary furniture, including a lounge area in front with low-slung black leather couches and a glass coffee table.

It happened in an instant. Dave Hartung was driving home from work the day after Christmas when a car darted from the shoulder of Interstate 97 and across two lanes to reach a ramp to U.S. 50. The vehicle smashed his car. While describing the crash to state troopers, Hartung now realizes, he was in shock. He went home to Severn and only in a few hours did he realize he was in pain, he said. At the hospital, doctors found that the accident had crushed four vertebrae in Hartung's spine and partially severed his spinal cord.

Simply Organic By Jesse Ziff Cool The Organic Food Shopper's Guide By Jeff Cox Wiley / 2008 / $17.99 This green and white paperback, small enough to tuck in your reusable market bag for reference, is a more practical guide to the nuts and bolts of buying organic foods. It's organized by item, and each has easy-to-spot information on its season; buying, storing and preparing it; and how much it benefits you to seek out an organic version. There's a handy section on how and why to buy organic wine, and a resource guide for learning more.

Usually reserved for restaurant dining, scallops are an elegant entree. This recipe for Pan-Seared Scallops With Ginger Sauce is a dish fit for company, yet easy to prepare. About the size of a marshmallow, the bivalve has a mildly sweet, slightly nutty flavor that even those who do not typically like fish usually enjoy. And like fish, scallops are good for your heart. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two fish meals per week. Scallops are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, but an even better source of vitamin B-12, which helps the body convert homocysteine, a chemical that attacks the blood vessel walls, into a benign substance.

There might not be anything as beautiful as a perfectly seared scallop: pale, pearlescent meat surrounded by a brown-gold and crisp corona. You can drape this scallop in a bright green herbed sauce or wrap in it pork. You can try to show it up with a fresh-fruit salsa or mask its mild sweetness with a citrus vinaigrette. But you have to do it justice. "No matter how you prepare it," said Cindy Wolf, owner and chef of Baltimore's Charleston restaurant, "the scallop should be the center of the plate and the center of the dish."

This supper was inspired by a wonderful meal at Passionfish restaurant in Pacific Grove, Calif., where the chef paired scallops with a butter-rum sauce. Here, in lieu of the more complex ingredients of that dish, a small amount of mint adds flavor while cutting some of the sweetness. Renee Enna writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Butter-rum scallops Serves 4 -- Total time: 12 minutes 2 tablespoons butter (divided use) 1 pound bay scallops, thawed if frozen, patted dry 2 tablespoons rum 2 teaspoons honey 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste freshly ground pepper 1 bag (6 ounces)

The Summer Shack Cookbook The Complete Guide to Shore Food The New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook Edited by Linda Amster St. Martin's Press / 2007 / $32 If Jasper White's guide to summer eating is like a classic lobster roll from a roadside stand, this compilation from the august newspaper of record brings to mind a wine-and-cheese picnic for a New York Philharmonic concert on Central Park's Great Lawn. Cleanly designed, filled with urbane but easy recipes, the book is a conglomeration of finds from Times' food writers and some of the nation's best chefs.

My 30-something-year-old son is a last-minute person, so I wasn't surprised when he called recently to say that he and his family had decided to drive out from Boston to western Massachusetts for a Sunday afternoon visit. "We'll just have an early supper with you and Dad," he informed me, "then head back." I had no hint that this was in the works but I was delighted at the chance to see him and his wife plus our two little grandchildren. Never mind that I had so much on my plate that I hadn't given a thought to entertaining that particular week.

When good friends who live in Washington telephoned recently to say that they would be in town for several days, I immediately marked a date on the calendar when we could get together. Originally, I had thought that we might dine out, but while testing recipes this past week, I realized that a new dish I had been working on would make a perfect entree to serve four. That recipe was for sauteed scallops dusted in smoked paprika, served atop a mound of saffron and orange-scented couscous.

Something about scallops - especially the half-dollar-sized sea scallops - says luxury. Garnish with caviar (even if only domestic) and everyone will feel pampered. It is easy and quick to prepare. This pretty pasta fills the bill. Tip --The best scallops are "dry" scallops, which haven't been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate, which makes them absorb water. But if your fish dealer only stocks "wet" scallops, no matter. Just be sure to pat them completely dry with paper towels before sauteing them.

Advertisements for scallops always indicate "water added." why? I feel that I am paying a hefty price for water. The scallop is the odd man out among mollusks. Clams, oysters and mussels all live close to the shore - you usually don't need a boat to find them. They are alive right up until the moment you shuck or steam them open. But scallops that live in the ocean (i.e. sea scallops) are brought in by boats that spend more than a day at sea. They are usually shucked by the fishermen as soon as they come out of the water, and during the journey to shore - and store - they lose moisture, according to Roger Tollefsen, president of the New York Seafood Council.