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Scallops with Tamarind

You can buy tamarind paste (page 46) from Middle Eastern stores. Serve the scallops as an appetizer accompanied with a leaf salad.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon tamarind paste
3 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons mild extra-virgin olive oil
12 sea scallops
Salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a little pan, heat the tamarind and water, stirring, until the tamarind dissolves, and let it cool. Then beat in the oil.

    Step 2

    Wash the scallops and pull away the intestinal thread. Cook them in a greased frying pan for 30–40 seconds on each side, sprinkling with a little salt.

    Step 3

    Serve hot with a drizzle of the tamarind dressing on each.

  2. Variation

    Step 4

    Another dressing for scallops is 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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