Recipe: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds & Scallop Salad

Planning your next pumpkin carving? This year make a whole day of it! Save those yummy pumpkin seeds to make a festive dinner for you and your guests. Salt Creek Grille Princeton’s Executive Chef Fabian Quiros has the perfect recipe for a Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Scallop Salad that will transform those average seeds into a dish exploding with delicious fall flavors!

Salt Creek Grille in Princeton, NJ, offers sophisticated fare in a casual upscale setting, putting a creative spin on traditional American favorites. Executive Chef Fabian Quiros oversees the restaurant's open, exhibition-style kitchen, serving up dishes from their new “Fresh Reinvented” menu. The recipe for the Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Scallop Salad is courtesy of Chef Quiros himself! Ideal for fall, this dish is finished with an Apple Cider Vinaigrette to really enhance this season’s favorite flavors. 

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds and Scallop Salad - Finish with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Yield 4 portions

½ cup toasted  pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon sea salt
5 tablespoons canola oil
12 large sea scallops(u-10)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 pound baby arugula, cleaned and dried
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

1. In a large, mixing  bowl, mix together the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, apple cider, honey and salt. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the canola oil into the apple cider and Dijon mixture and whisk until it emulsifies.

2. In a large skillet, heat the remaining canola oil over medium-high heat. Generously season the scallops all over with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot and shimmering, gently put the scallops into pan. Do not touch or move the scallops until the edges have turned light brown and the bottom is caramelized, 3-5 minutes. Turn the scallops over and cook for 4 minutes more, until the bottom edges are browned. Add the white wine to the pan, cover and remove the pan from the heat to finish cooking, 4 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toss the baby arugula with the apple cider vinaigrette to coat and then add in the halved grape tomatoes.

4. Prepare the four plates with a pile babu arugula and tomato salad and top with 3 of the seared scallops each, and a sprinkling of the toasted pumpkin seeds.