Between the bacon (around 200mg of sodium per slice) and the scallops (over 330mg per 3 ounces), the classic dish is too salty for me to enjoy. But when the bacon is replaced with smoky zucchini ribbons and the scallops are swapped out for halibut rounds, you have a whimsical reinterpretation that actually tastes equally thrilling.
I used smoked paprika and cumin to mimic the smoky fl avor of bacon and I decided to glaze the halibut rounds in honey and sugar to mimic the natural sweetness of scallops. The curry is purely for color and to balance the sweetness of the fish, and the spinach pasta lends a rich backdrop for the yellow-tinted "scallops."
Ingredients
Serves 4
Zucchini Rub
Scallop Rub
Glaze
The Main Meat
Noodles and Sauce
Step 1
- To prep, mix the ingredients for the two rubs and the glaze in 3 separate bowls. Then, using a vegetable peeler, start peeling along the length of the zucchini, beginning with the green outer layer, creating 1/2-inch-thick ribbons. Rotate the zucchini a quarter-turn after each peel in order to make somewhat even-sized ribbons. Make as many as possible and stop when you get to the seeds. Lay the ribbons out on a plate and sprinkle the zucchini rub on both sides, spreading gently it with your hands until all of the pieces are covered. It doesn't have to be an even coating, but you want every ribbon to have some color and spice.
Step 2
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Step 3
- Dip the halibut chunks into the scallop rub, making sure they are coated on all sides. Tightly wrap a zucchini ribbon around a halibut cube like a belt, so that the ends overlap. Use a toothpick to secure the zucchini and push it through to the other side. Place the wrapped halibut on a plate and repeat the procedure with the remaining fish and zucchini ribbons.
Step 4
- Now it's time to start on your sauce. Add the spinach to the boiling pot of water and cook for 1 minute. Immediately remove the spinach from the water with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking liquid, and transfer the spinach to a colander to drain. Rinse with cold water and when cool to the touch, use your hands to tightly squeeze the spinach and wring out the liquid. Do this 4 to 5 times until no water remains. Finely chop the spinach into little green bits and set aside.
Step 5
- 在一个平底锅,中火融化黄油。一个dd the shallot and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the flour and whisk until combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and whisk until the sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and the chopped spinach and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. The sauce will look thick, like creamed spinach. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting to keep the sauce warm.
Step 6
- Reheat the water you used to cook the spinach, and bring to a boil. Make sure you have your halibut rounds, the glaze, a plate, a large sheet of foil, and your serving bowl ready to go, because you are about to be moving around your kitchen quickly.
Step 7
- 一个dd the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or according to the instructions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium heat in a large skillet (nonstick if possible). When the oil starts to hiss and sizzle, place the halibut pieces in the pan in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes. Evenly spread the glaze on the top of the fish and then flip the halibut rounds, cooking the other side for 2 minutes more. Spread more glaze on the top side again, flip, and cook for a final 1 to 2 minutes. The halibut will have a crisp, brown sear on both sides. Put the cooked fish on a clean plate and cover it with foil to keep warm. If you had to split the fish into two batches, repeat until all the halibut rounds are cooked.
Step 8
- Finally, drain the pasta and put it into a large bowl with a drizzle of olive oil so the noodles don't stick together. Add the warm spinach sauce to the pasta and toss.
Step 9
- To serve, make a nest of the sauced noodles on a plate and top with 4 or 5 "scallops" per guest. Remove the toothpicks and dig in.
Nutrition Per Serving
note
如果你真的想欺骗你的客人,这是很容易的to make your halibut cubes look more like scallops. Using a tablespoon as your stencil, press down slightly on the halibut and then trace around it with a sharp knife. If you cut your cubes small enough, you can just press them into the tablespoon to form a ball shape without having to cut the fish. But if you do have leftover fish scraps, don't throw them away. Cook them in a skillet with leftover rice, peas, and other vegetables to make a quick fried rice dinner the next night.note
If you don't have time to make the noodles and sauce, here's an easy swap. USe your zucchini to make the noodles instead of fake bacon. Skip the spinach sauce and the zucchini wrap, and simply serve the scallops over a healthy bed of zucchini pasta noodles.
How would you rate Zucchini-Wrapped Halibut "Scallops"?
Leave a Review
Reviews (6)
Back to TopStrongly recommend this for anyone who is an amateur cook. It really makes people say, "Wow, this is creative!" and "You did all this?!" Yes, it's plenty of work. But it is fun to make. We live in Eastern Washington, so we don't trust the scallops. And we don't eat bacon. So this was perfect. We substituted Steelhead Trout from the Snake River for the halibut. We only had small zucchini and thin strips, so we wrapped multiple layers. The pasta was delicious with the sauce. The zucchini-wrapped fish melted in our mouths. We didn't feel like anything was over-seasoned. The glaze was essential - we could've been a bit more liberal with it. Looked good (though not TOO refined, honestly) on the plate. And one other thing - the recipe is written so that anyone can do it, and we really appreciate that. Really good, creative, fun dish! Strongly recommend a try.
whalefall
WA
2/15/2017
We did not do the pasta but the zucchini wrapped halibut was great. The spices were interesting and the glaze really added something.
shaunjack
Victoria, BC
5/25/2014
The spinach and pasta were great, but the "scallops" really missed the mark. The fish was over-seasoned, it doesn't need a honey glaze to achieve a nice brown sear, and the paprika/cumin on the zucchini is in big-time competition with the other rub. So my suggestion is to stick with actual scallops and wrap them with thinly sliced, lean bacon. Sorry! Good fresh halibut deserves better treatment.
RWNanaimo
Nanaimo, BC
1/16/2014
This was delicious but definitely a lot of work. It would probably be easier using real scallops or swordfish kebobs. I found there wasn't enough rub or glaze for the amount of fish (1 lb). Be prepared to spend time prepping and then doing a big clean up job. I'd be sure I have another person helping me next time.
dkjudem
Boston, MA
9/13/2013
The fish with the curry wasn't for me. Lots of work, too. Not worth it if you ask me.
jamiek22
7/15/2013
It was a little involved for me, so be sure to allow yourself some time. I used flounder instead of halibut because it was a lot cheaper at the store, and it still worked. It was pretty tasty, but I wouldn't make it often because of the work involved.
kuyth
Cincinnati, OH
6/30/2013