Creole Scallops with Fried Pineapple Basmati Rice

So yesterday I was wondering through the grocery store aimlessly. I do that sometimes. You can see some pretty interesting stuff that way. For example, you might stumble upon two chicks making out in the frozen food aisle or you might find something as totally awesome as this. At any rate it can be entertaining and it's what I was doing when I stumbled upon, not lesbians suddenly sent into the throes of ecstasy by Pillsbury Toaster Strudels but something much bigger, much better. Something like.... wait for it.... keep waiting... something like fresh, cheap!, beautiferous..... COLOSSAL SCALLOPS!

This was an epic find because as some of you may already be aware, scallops are the prime minister of all seafood. Scallops are to seafood as the Great Pumpkin is to Halloween. Scallops are to seafood as Snoop Dogg is to rap. Scallops are to seafood as the Tanooki is to power ups. Scallops are to seafood as... yeah ok, you get the idea... unless you wanna practice for the SATs and then I can keep 'em coming. You just let me know.

Needless to say I was stoked about having some big ol ginormous scallops in my mouth. My first thought upon finding them was that I should *cue sultry music* deep fry those suckahs until they were a crisp, succulent golden brown, dip them in a tart little red cocktail sauce and cradle them in a warm bed of french fries. But then I remembered I was trying to lose some weight. So I started wracking my brain for inspiration. And I thought of the delicious Thai Food (a.k.a. the prime minister of ethnic food) I had had for lunch. And ba-da-ba-bing, just like good old House always does, I made a connection. Thus, I bring you....

Creole Scallops with Fried Pineapple Basmati Rice


1lb. Sea Scallops (it's important to make sure you get sea scallops. They're the big ones. Bay scallops look like mini marshmallows and they won't be as good in this)
2 Tbsp. flour
2 tsp. creole seasoning (if you want them hotter you can rock cajun seasoning instead)
1 Tbsp. oil (I like to use red chili oil. I'm sure regular ol' vegetable oil would work fine)
2 1/2ish cups cooked basmati rice
1 overflowing cup diced pineapple
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Rinse off scallops to get the pungent seafood smell off of them. Pat dry.

Grab a ziploc bag and dump flour and creole seasoning in it. Toss the scallops around (2 or 3 at a time) in this floury bag. Pull them out and closely inspect to make sure they are good and coated. If they are, repeat process with the rest of your scallops.

When your scallops are all sufficiently coated in flour and spices, heat up some oil in a skillet. Add the scallops and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Make sure you turn them regularly so that they get brown on both sides. You don't want a biracial scallop, after all.

When the scallops are done, remove them from the skillet and set them somewhere warm (suggestions include: on a plate in a 175 degree oven, on a plate on a nearby burner, the tanning bed in your basement, the middle of the Sahara). Now, add rice and pineapple to the skillet. You may find it necessary to add some more oil or a little water to keep your rice from burning the h#!! up. If so, go ahead and do that. Stir this around for a while, making sure to scrape up and incorporate any good yummy brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the skillet. When rice seems thoroughly warm, scoop it into a bowl, top it with a few scallops, then sprinkle with cilantro. And tada! Fin!

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