Whole30 Day 4 Dinner: since I had to pick the wifey up from PHL airport on Wednesday afternoon, I knew I wanted to stop by Reading Terminal Market for seafood. What I didn’t know was how impossible it was going to be to find a compliant lunch, or how damn difficult it was gonna be for us to walk by all our favorite shops and food stands without being able to purchase anything.

No Turkey Jerky from Smucker’s (whaaa! there’s sugar in the recipe!). No Pastrami on Rye from Hershel’s. No tacos from 12th Street Cantina. No fresh baked Amish Pretzel. No Jambalaya from Beck’s. No Lamb Gyro from Olympia. Definitely no By George! Cheesesteak with homemade cheese sauce. Oh and there’s a new restaurant I didn’t get to try, Fox and Sons Fancy Corndogs, because it’s definitely, definitely not compliant! No cookies or fancy cheeses either. No Peking Duck or Original Turkey sandwich and definitely no Blue Mountain Vineyards Wine.

I ended up getting grilled chicken over a bed of lettuce and shredded carrots and the wife got sliced beef and peppers in a bowl. It was painful. We quickly decided we are absolutely heading back to Reading right before Thanksgiving when our 30 days are up. Disappointments aside, we got a beautiful pound of Diver Scallops from John Yi Fish Market, a delicious glass of unsweetened Moroccan Mint iced tea and a lb of Cherry Blossom Green tea to go from The Tea Lady, and of course black coffee and supplies from Old City Coffee. We didn’t linger as long as we normally do but I very much enjoyed our visit nonetheless.

This is only my second scallop recipe and I will admit I struggled a bit with timing. Everything turned out delicious and the scallops were perfectly tender and moist but going forward mashed potatoes will not be my side dish of choice for scallops. I much preferred the Poblano Creamed Corn I made with my last recipe, especially because I was able to let the slow cooker take care of the creamed corn while I focused on the scallops. Corn is not Whole30 compliant however so that was not an option. I might have been better off just serving these with a simply dressed salad instead. Lesson learned.

Ghee Basted Diver Scallops

Ingredients:

1 lb Diver Scallops, rinsed and patted dry

1 tsp Ghee

1/4 tsp Penzey’s American BBQ Seasoning, optional

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

Coat the scallops with the seasoning and set aside. In a nonstick pan over med flame, heat the Ghee until shimmering. Sear the scallops 60-90 seconds per side in small batches, occasionally basting them with the Ghee until all the scallops are just cooked through. Garnish with Pea Shoots and Lemon Wedge, if desired. Serve immediately.

Mash Potato Medley

1/2 lb bag of Baby Blue, Red, and Yukon Potatoes

1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil, or oil of choice

1 – 2 tsp Ghee, or to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a roasting pan, toss the potatoes with the Grapeseed oil, salt and pepper. Roast until the potatoes are very tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mash the potatoes with the Ghee and add additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.

Bacon Scallion Lemon Pepper Sauce

Ingredients: 

1 slice good quality Bacon

3 Green Scallions, trimmed and chopped

1 tbsp Spanish Paprika, or to taste

1/2 cup Water

Juice from 1/2 a Lemon, or to taste

1 tsp EVOO

Salt to taste

Very generous amount of fresh cracked Black Pepper

Method:

In skillet or nonstick pan, cook the bacon until crisp on both sides. Set aside on a paper towel. In the same pan, add the remaining ingredients and whisk to incorporate. Simmer the sauce until desired consistency is reached, tasting and adjusting seasonings as needed. Crumble the bacon. Turn off the flame and stir the bacon back into the sauce. Serve immediately.