Triple Sesame Salad with Scallops

Name: Triple Sesame Salad with Scallops
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1/4 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup rice wine or other vinegar; 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) or smooth peanut butter; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, cayenne, or ground dried chile, or to taste; 1 tablespoon honey; 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic; 1 teaspoon chopped peeled fresh ginger; 1 1/2 to 2 pounds sea scallops; Salt; 6 to 8 cups mesclun or other salad greens; 1/4 cup torn fresh Thai or other basil (optional); 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

December 20, 2011

The perfect whole-meal salad features as much flavor, texture, and bulk as any other well-prepared meal, and the fact that the base is a pile of greens makes me feel like I’m getting away with something. This one takes about ten minutes longer than a plain green salad and by changing the topping can be made in different ways every time, always with a minimum of effort. Use a blender for the dressing; it makes quick work of dispersing the sesame paste or peanut butter throughout the liquid ingredients—something that can be a real hassle with a fork or a whisk—creating a perfect emulsion. And because the blender purees the garlic and ginger, there’s no need to mince them; just peel, chop roughly, and drop them into the blender with the other ingredients. My first choice for topping this salad is grilled scallops—they’re almost ludicrously fast and easy, and their texture and flavor complement both greens and dressing—though shrimp, steak, or chicken thighs all could be substituted.

Recipe notes

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