The key to this recipe lies in the marinade. Freshly made tandoori marinade is always the best, but store bought tandoori paste or powder will be just as delicious and of course, easy.


TANDOORI SCALLOPS

Ingredients:

2 lbs of large sea scallops, trimmed and washed
lemon wedges for garnish
oil (vegetable or canola)
metal or wooden skewers

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For the Tandoori Marinade:

5-6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced (about 1½ inches in length)
3 cups of plain yogurt
2 small green chilies, finely minced
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp tandoori paste OR 4 tbsp tandoori masala powder (given below)
salt and pepper to taste

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Tandoori Masala (Powder)

2 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
4 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
2 tsp ground dried fenugreek leaves (methi powder)
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp red chili powder

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients above and store in an airtight container for 4-6 weeks.

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METHOD:

**Soak the wooden skewers in enough water to cover for at least 30 minutes.

To make the Tandoori Scallops:

Make sure the scallops are well drained and thoroughly dry.

Whisk together the marinade ingredients until smooth and add the scallops. Mix well to coat the scallops evenly, a plastic zip bag works well (and no messy clean up) and refrigerate. I highly recommend marinating the scallops for at least 15-20 minutes, refrigerated. This will allow the marinade time to season the scallops and give it that characteristic tandoori flavor.

Remove the scallops and remove any excess marinade before cooking, discard the marinade. Thread the scallops carefully onto the skewers. This recipe works best on a grill but can also be done in the oven. If you are grilling the scallops on a grill or barbeque, grill on medium high until fully cooked. The scallops should be browned on the outside but deliciously tender on the inside.

If you are using an oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a foil lined baking sheet (sprayed lightly with cooking spray), place your skewered scallops in a single even layer and drizzle very lightly with oil. Broil for just for 2-3 minutes, turn the scallops over and cook for another minute. Check to make sure the scallops are fully cooked through; they should be evenly browned on the outside but moist and tender on the inside. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top and garnish with extra lemon wedges. This can be served with a cool and refreshing yogurt dip (yogurt with either finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves or finely chopped fresh mint leaves).