You know you have created something special when you wife asks, “Is this what they mean by umami?” This one came together so well. I love scallops, the steak of the sea. The earthy lentils, the bitter greens, the crunchy carrots, the sweet satsuma and the savory soy. Oh man, it was so good.

I’d never even heard of satsuma until a visit to McCrady’s in Charleston. Apparently they are grown organically right here in my state. The organic French lentils where a high quality ingredient and the rainbow chard and carrots where both organic from our favorite local grocery (Swamp Rabbit Grocery and Cafe). The carrots where massive, like the largest carrots we’ve seen. I grabbed a purple one just because.

This meal came together like a lot of my favorite creations. I wanted something light for dinner, preferably fish. We went to our Fresh Market and the scallops looked great. I’ve been craving lentils since I made Turkey Italian Sausage, Kale and Lentils with Herby Broth. As mentioned above, a trip to the favorite little grocery produced local satsuma, chard and carrots. Now I needed to put them together some how. A search on the interwebs really didn’t give me any great ideas. So I made it up. The combination was fantastic and I’ll be making this again and again. The vinaigrette really brought everything together. I love meals that have a little of everything and combined it is even better. Sweet, savory, sour, soft, crunchy, earthy, citrus…UMAMI.

Seared Scallops, French Green Lentils, Rainbow Chard, Purple Carrots with a Satsuma and Soy Vinaigrette

Rainbow Chard, Purple Carrot, Satsuma

Ingredients

• 10 fresh diver scallops, patted dry
• 1 cup French green lentils, rinsed
• 3 cups unsalted vegetable stock
• 1 extra large purple carrot (or two regular sized), peeled and cut in julienne
• 1 bunch rainbow chard, chiffonade
• 2-4 tsp crushed red pepper flake, to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 satsuma or tangerines, juice and zest of one and one segmented
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2-3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Add the vegetable broth and lentils to a medium sauce pot and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook about 15 minutes until lentils are cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, add the juice of one satsuma, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, season with salt and whisk in olive oil to combine. Set aside.
3. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and coat with olive oil. Add smashed garlic and toss in the oil until it starts sizzling. Add rainbow chard and crushed red pepper flake, and toss until slightly wilted. Add carrots and lentils and toss to combine. Season with salt if needed. Remove garlic cloves and keep warm. Before serving add satsuma segments and toss mixture.
4. Heat a large cast iron or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Coat with canola oil. Season dried scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops to heated pan and sear for 2 or 3 minutes on each side until browned and they release from the pan.
5. To plate, add lentil, rainbow chard and carrot mixture to the plate. Drizzle the vinaigrette around the edges of the lentil mixture. Top with scallops and enjoy.