I left work at the restaurant yesterday afternoon and walked straight into a heavy rainstorm. A coworker and I ran through the flooded streets and ducked into the neighborhood’s best ice cream parlor to split a French press. It’s been a long time since I’ve been chilly enough to relish in a warm cup of coffee, and so when we parted ways I knew I wanted to take advantage of the cool evening to eat something warm, brothy and umami.

I wandered the aisles of my local supermarket aimlessly and finally landed at the fish counter, where I picked out some scallops. Does anyone else feel like seafood is daunting and expensive? I do, or I did, until I made a habit of buying it regularly. I don’t have a lot of experience cooking seafood, but I’m determined to learn by trial and error. And as was the case with my recent mussel infatuation, I was pleasantly surprised that scallops are rather affordable. I bought five scallops for a little over $3 but could only eat three of them. I personally recommend a smaller serving of scallops if you’re using large ones like I did. Scallops always taste so buttery and rich to me that I find it hard to enjoy too many of them, but there’s nothing about this recipe that says you can’t cook up as many scallops as you want.

Can I just say a word about cooking with tomatoes at this time of year? Never, ever settle for a mediocre tomato! Actually, regardless of season, you should still never settle for a mediocre tomato, but especially not now, when tomatoes are falling off the vine all around us. Heirloom varieties are particularly wonderful; sadly, my grocery store had none and I settled for vine-ripened Camparis, resolving not to miss farmer’s market next week. Still, the Camparis were really flavorful and ripe and gave much-needed acidity to this dish. Smell the tomatoes when you’re picking them out. If they don’t smell like a tomato vine, they’re probably not worth using. 

Seared Scallops and Israeli Couscous with Tomato and Portobello Broth

• 12-20 large, fresh scallops
• 2 cups Israeli couscous
• 6 cups organic vegetable broth
• 4 small vine-ripened tomatoes
• 2-3 very large portobello mushrooms, or more if they are smaller
• dash lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Wash and slice the tomatoes and portobellos. Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil in a very large skilllet and sauté the portobellos over medium heat for about 3 minutes, or until soft. Add the broth and heat to a simmer. Add the couscous and tomatoes and season with salt. Cook for 10 minutes or until couscous is tender, stirring occasionally. When the couscous is done, taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir. Turn the heat down to very low and allow to sit while you sear the scallops.

2. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. Heat a nonstick pan over a high flame and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. When the pan is hot, drop in the scallops, making sure they are not touching. Sear for 1-1/2 minutes on each side. They scallops should have a golden crust, but still be somewhat translucent in the center. Serve immediately atop the couscous. Serves 4.