Hey Tampa Bay, it is scallop season! You've probably seen it on the news or heard it from your neighbors, but seeing and hearing isn't doing. So get out of the house and get yourself up to the Homosassa area along the Nature Coast. Bring fins and snorkels, a couple of five-gallon buckets, mesh bag, sunscreen (especially on your back; think about it), dive flag and a boat. Thinking ahead, you will also need some wine. Not on the boat, though — it's to pair with your scallops.
Florida state laws allow scalloping only in waters north of the Pasco-Hernando county line to the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County. You can scallop two gallons of whole bay scallops in the shell per person but you cannot have more than 10 gallons of scallops in the shell aboard any boat, so don't get caught with too many. Scallop season was extended this year to Sept. 25, all the more fun to have hunting for these mollusks.
Scallops are a sweet-flavored mussel, but it's a mild sweetness and in reality, you can cook and flavor mussels practically any way you like. They grab onto flavorings with a vengeance.
Most folks toss scallops into a cream sauce and serve over pasta; or shake them into a bowl of Zatarain's and quick-fry them. There are recipes for scallop casseroles (please bypass this), and scallop ceviche (please try this), and scallop soup, and scallop Provençal — the list is endless. Let's focus on two recipes and pairings; after all that scalloping, you just want to eat!
Scallop Ceviche Paired with Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Columbia Valley Chardonnay
Making scallop ceviche is relatively easy. You need a red onion sliced thin, lime or lemon juice, chopped up cilantro, salt (to taste), olive oil and, if you like to add "heat" to the action, chopped jalapeños or other types of spicy chilies. Cut the scallops in half or thirds, depending on the size, and add the lime or lemon juice; enough juice to slightly cover the amount of scallops in the bowl. Let it marinate for at least an hour then add all the other ingredients. Scallop ceviche cannot be saved for next day's lunch, so only make as much as you think will be consumed.
The fantastic thing about scallop ceviche is that it makes music in the mouth when paired with the Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Columbia Valley Chardonnay ($25). The creaminess of the Chardonnay brings out that sweetness we discussed earlier in the scallop. This Washington state Chardonnay is classic in style with nice citrus that highlight the citrus flavors in the ceviche but with enough creamy feel in the mouth to cut into spicy additives, like jalapeños.
Scallop Pasta in Cream Sauce with Nine Walks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
Everyone thinks he can do a cream sauce, but it's like fashion: everyone thinks he's well-dressed. Get it? Most cream sauces end up too heavy, leaving us feeling bloated when we are done. To avoid this, add some crisp, acidic white wine to the mix. Yes, the wine thins the sauce out some, but it will give it a lighter flavor and allow the other ingredients a chance to be sampled.
The wine to use in your cream sauce recipe and to pair with the final dish is the Nine Walks Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc ($10). This wine's mix of tropical fruit and grassy flavors makes it distinct in its category; this combination of flavors also makes it perfect for using in and pairing with cream sauces. When serving foods with cream sauces, you always want your wines to give contrasting acidity. Otherwise, you will be pairing cream with cream and your mouth will become dull to all the other flavors.
This article appears in Aug 11-17, 2011.