Coconut, Chille & Lime Scallop Tostadas

When I was in college, I had the opportunity to live in Cuernavaca, Mexico.  During my time there, I fell in love with Mexican cuisine, and to this day it has greatly influenced me as a home cook.  Seemingly always I try to incorporate the freshness, flavor, and authenticity of these wonderful regional ingredients into any meals that I cook.

Tostada

According to Rick Bayless, "What a lot of people don't know about Chicago  is that we have the  greatest concentration of artisanal tortilla factories in the world."  He said it and its the truth.  I have a little Mexican grocer where I find a pack of  warm corn tortillas from Atotonilco Tortilleria wrapped in paper, indicating they were made recently and without preservatives- just lime, corn & water. I decided to incorporate this authentic Mexican staple into my appetizer by making a tostada.


Grab 2-3 tortillas from the stack.  Using a 2-inch cookie cutter or a small glass and a pairing knife, trace and cut out a small circle.  In a frying pan, heat oil until a drop of water sizzles immediately when added to it.  Once hot enough, add tortillas in a single layer and fry lightly on each side, about 1-2 minutes, or until golden crisp. Remove and drain on a paper towel.  Set aside.  Repeat.

Scallops with Coconut, Chile and Lime

ingredients

1 pound wild caught sea scallops
1 can 365 Everyday Value Coconut Milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/4 habanero chile, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon of 365 Everyday Value Organic Coconut oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small clove of garlic, minced
Juice and zest of one lime
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
To garnish: 2-3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

preparation

Heat coconut oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet.  Add onion, garlic, and habanero chile and sauté for about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.  Add the coconut milk and raise the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, so the flavors can blend together.  While the coconut milk mixture is simmering, we will turn our attention to the scallops.

Heat approximately 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan.  Once hot, place the scallops in the oil and sear, turning once, golden on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer the scallops to a plate. Add a little sea salt while they are searing.

Next, add the butter, lime juice, and zest to your coconut milk, and add the scallops to this mixture. Cook until scallops are opaque throughout, about 5-7 minutes. Season with a bit more sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Ladle the scallop onto the tostadas you set aside.  Take another tablespoon and drape some coconut,                
lime,  and chile sauce on top of tostada and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve immediately!

¡Buen Provencho!