Wayfair is one of my go-to websites when I’m shopping for our house, so when they invited me to create a recipe for a bite-sized appetizer, I jumped at the chance. Although I don’t share a ton of food-related posts here on Design Fixation, I do love to cook. It’s yet another creative outlet for me. So today I’m going to share with you a recipe in conjunction with a quick DIY project, of course (because I just couldn’t help myself). Here goes…. my recipe for seared scallop and sweet potato bites with pea purée and DIY gold party picks.
DIY Gold Party Picks
Let’s begin with the party picks. These are fun because you can create a variety of different shapes if you like. The key here is the material I used… it is called Metalized Polyester Film Tape and you can buy it on Amazon.
Cut a 1.5″ long piece of tape and stick a toothpick to the bottom center of the tape as shown above. Fold it in half and attach the tape to itself.
Cut the top 1/4″ off and then trim it into your desired shape. I like the triangle the best.
And that’s it. Pretty easy, right? They lend a bit of style to the humble wooden toothpick.
Seared Scallop Sweet Potato Bites With Pea Purée
And now onto the recipe. This will serve 3-4 people as an appetizer or 2 as a meal. Here are the ingredients:
- 15 small sea scallops
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 cups sweet peas
- 2 small new potatoes, chopped
- 1/4 cup vidalia onion, chopped
- 1 cup baby lettuce
- 3 basil leaves
- 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 tbsps vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
We’ll begin with the purée, because that takes the longest to cook. Place the peas, potatoes, garlic and onions in a pot with the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and boil on high for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. At the very end, add the lettuce and basil and cook for another minute or so until it is wilted.
Meanwhile, boil your sweet potatoes on high in a separate pot until they are soft but not mushy. This should take about 10 minutes as well, depending on how large your cubes are.
Next, purée the pea mixture in a food processor. Add a tablespoon or two of lemon juice for some acid, and you may need to add a bit of water also if it is too thick. Taste it (careful, it’s hot!) and season with extra salt and pepper if necessary.
Now it’s time to sear the scallops. Begin by seasoning them with salt and pepper. Place the vegetable oil in the pan and turn the burner to medium high. Let the pan get nice and hot. Next, turn on the exhaust fan over your stove and open a window. Trust me. Your smoke alarm will inevitably go off if you don’t do this ahead of time 😉
Place the scallops in the pan and watch them sizzle. Watch out for spitting oil! Ouch. Squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice onto each scallop. Flip them over once they are nice and brown (about 3-4 minutes) and cook them for another 3-4 minutes. Remove them from the heat.
Now spread the purée on the bottom of a plate or shallow bowl. Slip a sweet potato cube and a scallop onto each party pick, and place them on the purée. And now it’s time to EAT!
Mike and I had them for dinner with a green salad, and after he took his first bite he said, “these are f-ing awesome.” So they are fiancé-approved.
They have a lovely combination of savory and sweet, and the here’s the best part – they are good for you! They are packed with antioxidants, and the fat content is relatively low. So go ahead, indulge!
