Dad just loves to get out that grill and cook up his favorites for supper. But what about breakfast, brunch or lunch? Want something special? Have lobster tails; will pair with whole scallops!
After you have prepared some scrumptious dishes that combine whole farmed scallops with the delicate claws and knuckle meat for lobsters, what do you do with the lobster tails? (Of course you can equally well start here with these remarkable sea cakes and put the claws in the freezer for your next culinary adventure. )
Scallop Lobster cakes
2 small lobster tails cooked 5 minutes, shelled and deveined
1 cup whole farmed scallops shucked and gutted and liquid saved
2 Tb - 1/2 cup heavy cream
½ cup Panko
Crushed Saltines
2 egg whites
In a food processor, chop the lobster to bits. Add the whole scallops and chop briefly. You do not want to make a puree.
Beat the egg whites frothy and add to scallops and lobster mix. The proportions of crumbs and cream depends on personal preference. You want the cakes to hold their shape. Some crumbs soak up the scallop juice well and add a nice consistency to the cakes. Too much is sloppy.
Sprinkle a layer of crushed saltines on a plate, shape and place 8 cakes on the crumbs, top with more crumbs and chill for an hour or overnight.
Preheat your broiler.
Melt a fairly generous layer of butter in a frying pan, a heavy cast iron skillet if you have one. Toast the cakes in a single layer for about 4 minutes. You want that bottom layer to be golden brown. Now put the pan full of cakes under the broiler on a middle shelf. You want to cook the tops (without turning!) till they are also golden brown. Remember, your meats are already cooked and would toughen if overcooked but you do need to cook the egg whites and cream mixture to solidify.
Now here’s a test. Did you read the whole recipe through first as wise cooks do? You probably want to serve these cakes with this delicious faux-Hollandaise sauce which neatly uses up the egg yolks. That you can make before you fry the cakes. Once you have your sauce made, it will sit nicely on the stove keeping warm while you proceed with cooking the cakes.
Not Quite Hollandaise
2 egg yolks, whisked
Add 2 Tablespoons of corn starch stirred into 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
Stir in 1 cup unflavored (preferably Greek) yogurt.
dash of salt
Put your bowl over hot water – a double boiler or a bowl that is nestled in a strainer over a pot of gently boiling water. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. The cornstarch keeps the yogurt from “breaking” and the mixture will gradually thicken to a velvety smooth sauce. If you put the sauce on the back of the stove while you fry and broil the cakes, the sauce will thicken even further. You will want to add a ¼ teaspoon of salt to enrich the flavor. Although we are always reluctant to add salt to a dish with the already salty scallop liquid, this sauce really needs a touch of salt to balance the lemon. Some people like to add a touch of mustard or dill at this point. It’s up to you, but remember that these seafood flavors are subtle and easily overwhelmed by your sauce flavors.
Serve with a pretty salad and you have a delicious lunch. Another clever way to add a traditional touch of French fries is to cut up your white potatoes into strips, spray them with olive oil cooking spray and microwave them until nearly tender. Then spread these out as “oven fries” in the broiler to brown along with the cakes. Make your own tartar sauce by stirring together a half and half mixture of yogurt and mayonnaise and dill pickles copped small. Add a few capers if you want the mixture to taste like New England’s own Cains tartar sauce.
Brunch you say? Here’s where our sauce comes in. Serve the warm cakes on an English muffin half under a blanket of the not quite Hollandaise you made. Orange marmalade on the other half of the muffin along with a Mimosa complements the flavors nicely.