Dinner party

We had old friends over for dinner tonight and the hubster wanted to grill steaks so I decide to upgrade us to a kind of surf and turf with the side dish.

Scallops with sauteed watercress and ginger

3 TBSP vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP peeled minced fresh ginger
3 bunches watercress (about 5 oz each), thick ends trimmed
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound large sea scallops (about 12)

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 TBSP oil over med-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook until garlic is lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add half of the watercress and cook until wilted, 1 to 3 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 1 TBSP oil and remaining watercress. Stir in lemon juice and sesame seeds and season with salt and pepper. Wipe skillet clean.

2. Pat scallops dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 TBSP oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add scallops and cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until opaque throughout; 30 seconds to one minute. Serve scallops with watercress.

This was a huge hit. Everyone looked at it and said, "Oh! Are those scallops?" The greens and scallops were a great complement to the steaks. I made roasted potatoes as the starch. Excellent.