Sargent Choice Cooking

Scallops star on chef Walter Dunphy’s spring menu

By Cynthia K. Buccini. Video by Alan Wong

Watch the video above to see chef Walter Dunphy prepare miso-glazed scallops with fresh vegetables and soba noodles.

Walter Dunphy is into spring. For his second segment of Sargent Choice Cooking, a series of videos of the BU executive chef preparing healthful and tasty meals, Dunphy is featuring scallops with an Asian flair.

The recipe calls for sea scallops with fresh vegetables and whole wheat soba noodles. Dunphy uses Nantucket bay scallops. “Their sweetness happens to lend itself quite well to Asian-inspired cuisine, with its subtle yet spicy contrasts,” he says.

The ingredients, such as mirin, a Japanese sweet cooking wine, and sambal olek, or sriracha, an Asian-style hot sauce, can usually be found in the Asian foods section in local supermarkets, says Dunphy.

All of his recipes follow guidelines established by Boston University’s Sargent Choice program, a nutritional and culinary collaboration between the dietitians at Sargent College and the chefs at BU’s Dining Services. Sargent’s nutritionists create healthy and delicious recipes for baked goods, sandwiches, pizzas, soups, and desserts, and Dining Services prepares them for sale in retail outlets and at dining halls across the campus.

Miso-Glazed Sea Scallops with Fresh Vegetables and Soba Noodles
Ingredients
1 pound fresh sea scallops, rinsed, with nerve removed
8 ounces whole wheat soba noodles or other whole wheat pasta
2½ cups snow peas (trimmed)
1 cup red bell pepper, cleaned and diced small
1 cup carrots, julienned
½ cup red cabbage, julienned
1 cup green onion, green parts only, sliced on the bias
1½ tablespoons red or orange miso paste
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sambal olek (sriracha)
1/3 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
In a stockpot, bring 3 to 4 quarts of water to a boil and add soba noodles, stirring occasionally with a fork or tongs. Cook until al dente. Remove, strain, and rinse with cool water and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine miso paste, orange juice, mirin, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and sambal olek in a nonreactive bowl and stir. Add scallops and toss to coat. Allow to rest refrigerated for about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate, reserving marinade.

In a large nonstick pan, bring olive oil to a medium-high heat and add scallops (try not to crowd the pan). Spin the scallops and shake the pan a bit to prevent sticking, cooking and allowing them to sear for about 2 minutes, then flip and repeat.

Remove and place on a plate tented with aluminum foil to keep warm.

While the pan is still hot, immediately add snow peas, cabbage, carrots, red peppers, and half the cut green onions and sauté for about 1 minute. Add marinade and turn the heat up to high, stirring occasionally, for about 2 more minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the noodles. Toss and stir to coat and combine.

Plating
Divide pasta and vegetables equally among four plates and then arrange scallops evenly around each plate.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and remaining green onion.

Cynthia K. Buccini can be reached at cbuccini@bu.edu. Alan Wong can be reached at alanwong@bu.edu.

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