From sea to shining sea

Set off culinary fireworks with this fresh, flavorful recipe

Scallops cook quickly on the grill, leaving plenty of time for friends, family and fun on the Fourth of July.
Scallops cook quickly on the grill, leaving plenty of time for friends, family and fun on the Fourth of July.

I haven’t seen definitive statistics on the matter, but I’d be willing to bet that Independence Day sees more people across America cooking and eating outdoors than any other day of the year. It’s a time to enjoy summer in all its glory with family and friends, and food in the open air seems even better when it’s bookended first by relaxing in the backyard or park and later by watching a great fireworks show.

When it comes to selecting your main dish for Independence Day, it seems to me that people fall into two different camps. There are the traditionalists, who always go with tried-and-true main dishes such as hot dogs and burgers, or barbecued ribs, chicken or pork. And then there are people who want to do something original, looking every year for a way to add a new, exciting dish to the holiday.

This year, I’d like to offer you a recipe I think will satisfy both the traditionalists and more adventurous souls: my grilled teriyaki scallops (or shrimp) with grilled pineapple-jalapeno salsa. And while the recipe may at first appear to be out of the ordinary among July Fourth offerings, there is also a strong case to make for it being undeniably all-American.

You can find scallops in American cookbooks tracing back at least as far as the early years of our nation’s independence. In The New Art of Cookery, published in Philadelphia in 1792, author Richard Briggs — an Englishman who was deliberately writing recipes featuring New World ingredients — included recipes for scallops stewed in a flour-and-butter-thickened sauce of white wine, spices and Seville orange juice (sounds delicious, doesn’t it?); and a scallop fricassee with a sauce enriched with egg yolks and cream, served with “sippets,” little toast points to sop up every last drop.

Thanks to that long history — and since some of the best, biggest, plumpest sea scallops come from New England coastal waters — this particular seafood selection makes a perfect July Fourth choice. (And I give the option of substituting shrimp, if you prefer them or can’t find good scallops.) The scallops cook quickly, so the recipe won’t get in the way of the day’s other festivities.

I’ve also included ingredients that make this a recipe whose inspiration comes “from sea to shining sea.” I brush on a little teriyaki sauce toward the end of grilling to give the seafood a delicious mahogany glaze. And a salsa I make from grilled fresh pineapple — spiked with grilled onion, fresh jalapenos, mint and cilantro — complements the main ingredient with bright, sweet, slightly spicy flavors.

It all adds up to an Independence Day dish that looks, and tastes, like a beautiful fireworks display. Happy Fourth of July.

GRILLED TERIYAKI SCALLOPS (OR SHRIMP) WITH GRILLED PINEAPPLE-JALAPENO SALSA

Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as an appetizer

For the scallops or shrimp:

16 large sea scallops, or 16 peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp

1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves

1 teaspoon chopped cilantro leaves

Extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Kosher salt

Homemade teriyaki sauce (recipe follows), or good-quality bottled teriyaki sauce

For the salsa:

Extra-virgin olive oil, for coating

1 large ripe pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 large red onions, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

3 green jalapeno chiles

3 red jalapeno chiles, or 3 additional green ones

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves

1 lime, juiced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat an outdoor grill.

Meanwhile, prep and marinate the scallops or shrimp: Place them on folded paper towels to blot dry. Thread a pair of skewers parallel through 4 scallops or shrimp. Repeat with the remaining seafood.

Sprinkle mint and cilantro over the seafood. Drizzle generously with oil, and season with pepper; then drizzle with a little more oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When the fire is hot, place the cooking grid over the fire, and make the grilled pineapple-jalapeno salsa: Carefully oil the cooking grid. Place the pineapple slices on the grid, and cook until golden-brown, about 4 minutes per side, turning with long-handled grill tongs. Remove to a clean cutting board.

In a bowl, gently toss the onion slices and jalapenos in just enough oil to coat them lightly. Place them on the grid, and cook until evenly browned and blistered, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill.

Protecting your fingers with a clean folded kitchen towel or paper towels, peel off the chiles’ blistered skins; then slit the chiles open and discard the seeds, veins and stems.

On a cutting board, cut the pineapple into 1/2-inch cubes, placing them in a large mixing bowl, and discard the tough inner cores. Cube the onion, mince the jalapenos, and add to the bowl with the remaining cilantro and mint. Add the lime juice, and drizzle with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Season the seafood skewers lightly with salt. Oil the cooking grid, and grill the skewers over high heat for about 2 minutes per side, brushing lightly with teriyaki sauce to glaze just before they finish cooking.

To serve, spoon the salsa onto individual serving plates. Using tongs, slide the scallops or shrimp off the skewers onto the salsa. Serve immediately.

HOMEMADE TERIYAKI SAUCE

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sake

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons minced green onion, white part only

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

Directions:

In a heavy, medium-sized nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, combine the sake, soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Add the green onion, and bring to a boil. Add the ginger and garlic. Simmer briefly. If you want a smooth, clear sauce, pour through a fine-meshed strainer.

In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water to make a smooth slurry. Reduce the heat to low and, whisking constantly, drizzle in the slurry and cook until thick and glossy, about 1 minute longer. Refrigerate in a covered container and use within a week.

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