Nigella Lawson's Scallops & Chorizo--A "One Pot Wonder"

This week's I Heart Cooking Clubs theme is "One Pot Wonders" which means recipes where all the elements are prepared in one pot or pan. I am almost embarrassed about posting this recipe for Scallops and Chorizo from Nigella Express because it is so simple and once your scallops are defrosted, it takes less than 10 minutes to have this on the table. An easy tapas or starter with some crusty bread to soak up the sauce or if served on top of salad or saffron rice, a nice lunch or dinner entree. 

Nigella says, "I have long been a fan of scallops and bacon and scallops with chile, and this is my combination of the two, using chorizo--the sausage not the salami--to ooze its paprika-hot orange oil all over the sweet, white scallops. It's quicker than the speed of light to make and quite as dazzling."

Scallops and Chorizo

Nigella Express, Nigella Lawson

(Serves 4 as Main Course for 8 as Starter)

4 oz chorizo sausage 

1 lb small scallops (halve them to make 2 thinner discs if they are very fat)

juice of half a lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Slice the chorizo into rounds no thicker than 1/8 inch. Put a pan on the stove to get hot and then dry-fry (the chorizo will give out plenty of its own oil) the chorizo rounds until crisped on either side; this should take no more than 2 minutes. Remove chorizo to a bowl or serving plate and fry the scallops in the chorizo oil for about a minute per side. Return the chorizo to the pan with the scallops, add the lemon juice and let bubble for a few seconds before arranging on a serving plate and sprinkling with lots of parsley. 

Notes/Results: A great little dish that goes together very quickly and is quite tasty. The combination of the sweet scallops and lightly spicy chorizo brightened by the lemon is excellent. I also like the fact it uses only four ingredients plus a little pepper (with the chorizo, no salt was needed) and they are things I had in my freezer and pantry. This would be an effortless party dish and I would make it again.

You can see what the other IHCC participants chose as their "one pot wonders" by going to the IHCC site here.