Recipe: Barnegat Light Scallops, Creamless Creamed Corn and Jersey Chanterelles

Try this recipe from Escape Montclair‘s Chef Bryan Gregg.

Recipe yields 4 servings.

Creamed Corn Ingredients:

  • 5 ears of corn, preferably from New Jersey
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper

Creamed Corn Directions:

  1. Cut the kernels off 3 of the ears of corn.
  2. Place the kernels in a blender with ¼ cup water and purée for a minute, until smooth with very few chunks.
  3. Place a fine sieve over a bowl and pour the corn mixture in the sieve. Using the back of a spoon, gently push down on the corn mixture to extract all the corn liquid. Expect about ½ cup of liquid.
  4. Cut the kernels off the last 2 ears of corn.
  5. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the kernels from the 2 ears and blanch for 1 minute. Strain the cooked corn kernels and place in a bowl filled with water and ice cubes for 5 minutes. Once cooled, strain again and dry over paper towels.
  6. Over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan, bring the corn liquid to a low simmer and whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Do not allow to boil or risk the liquid curdling.
  7. Once the corn liquid has thickened, turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter until melted and fully incorporated. Add the cooled, blanched corn kernels and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat until ready to plate, at most, 10 minutes.

Seared Barnegat Scallops Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 16 Barnegat scallops
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper

Seared Barnegat Scallops Directions:

  1. In a large, nonstick sauté pan, melt the butter over high heat until slightly golden and frothy.
  2. Season the scallops with salt and pepper and place them in the pan. Sear the scallops on the first side for 2 minutes without disturbing them. Once golden brown, flip the scallops and sear the second side, undisturbed, for 2 minutes.
  3. Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside for later use. Reserve the butter-infused with scallop juices in the pan.

Jersey Chanterelles Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ pound chanterelle mushrooms (preferably from NJ), cleaned and cut in half if larger than bite-size.

Jersey Chanterelles Directions:

  1. Over high heat, in the pan used to sear the scallops, add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the butter-infused with scallop juices.
  2. Add the chanterelles and sauté for 4 minutes, or until softened and slightly browned.

Final Dish Assembly:

  1. Divide the creamed corn among 4 bowls.
  2. Top the creamed corn with 4 scallops per bowl.
  3. Divide the chanterelles among 4 bowls and arrange around the scallops.