Swordfish and Scallops, A Sweet Savory Combo

Summer pickings from the local fish and farmers market. Hubs came home (I should've gone with him) with a very large bag of very big summer squash. What was I going to do with all of this. I chopped and froze most of it, but saved two large ones to make an old favorite- as a teenager we ate at a restaurant which served southern home cooking, Black-eyed Peas. One of my favs was squash casserole. There was something about it, because my mom never made it. We ate mostly corn, potatoes, peas, green beans and green toppers.

I will share it next, but have altered the restaurants recipe, very little sugar and brown. The fish market had day boat scallops and swordfish. While hubs and I were Cape Cod for my poetry fellow we picked up a jar of roasted garlic and onion jelly. I had been wanting to use it and decided to season the seafood with pepper, salt, and and a smoky paprika.

I heated some butter and olive oil in a hot pan and stirred some of the jelly in and then placed the scallops in for three minutes and then flipped them over. In a separate pan I did the same with the swordfish, a bit longer thought, since it was much denser.

I served it with the squash and an Asian slaw- carrots, cabbage, red bell pepper, and a wasabi mayo (1/3 wasabi paste mixed with 2/3s mayo). The sweetness and bite of the two went well.

Blackened Grilled Swordfish- NYE Entree

To be honest we were so full by the time the swordfish was done, and New Year's Eve still held dessert and midnight, but somehow we all managed to eat every bite. Good thing it was light. A bit summery with the pineapple and blackening seasoning- I went easy on the seasoning I got from a grill chef friend of mine, along with olive oil and a squeeze of Meyer lemon; it was summery. I admitted it was a fiery rub. I knew a few of my light weight 'spicy' eating friends would die if I made it too hot, so light all the way was the theme here.

Three and a half minutes on each side lead to a juicy perfection. One thing I cannot stand is dry and over cooked swordfish. If you buy them with some of the flesh/skin still on, no worries, because it comes right off after cooking. These were not frozen, this day's catch. The skin is rubbery to eat though, so just remove it after cooking; it does help keep the steak moist.

The summery garnish you see is simply pineapple, blueberries (not in season, but we still buy shipped in brands, and eat them with cereal), scallions, grape tomatoes, cleaned and seeded jalapeno, garlic, and Meyer lemon juice. Chop, mix, and stir occasionally- at least three hours before cooking to meld flavors.

Chris over at Nibble Me This and I laughed at how hard core we are about grilling all year long, and in the dead of winter. I made hubby go out and clean the snow off the grill, and clean it out for me- I also told him that it would be used the next day for our New Year's Day meal, and his appetite obliged. Wait till you see what Chris schooled me in for the next day's meal!

When my son and I first moved to the NE five years ago, the neighbors all keep their grills covered during the winter, while mine gets used at least five times before spring. We got lots of strange looks, before they built our separating walls. I grew up with my father grilling all year long.