Seared Scallops with Orange Supremes and Jalapeno Vinaigrette – Styling and Flavor Profiling

When I posted the tease to this seared scallops with orange "supremes" and jalapeno vinaigrette video last week, I got a few comments and emails asking how it would differ from the seared scallops with orange and jalapeno dressing video I posted last year.

While the dishes' flavor profiles are almost exactly the same, I find it fascinating how different this new version seems, with only one real change. Instead of the jalapeno being cut into a very fine dice (also known as "brunoise"), here I've used it in a simple vinaigrette.

In fact, the real reason for this video was to show you how to make this incredibly basic, but extremely versatile dressing. When it came time to decide what to pair it with, I could practically hear the scallops screaming at me from the fridge. By the way, the leftover vinaigrette was used the next day to dress a white bean salad, and it was fantastic.

As long as you trim all the seeds and white membrane, jalapenos are not a really spicy pepper, especially when blended with the sweet rice vinegar. I realized after editing the video that I never showed how to prep the peppers, so if you're not that experienced working with them, check out the original scallop recipe here to see a great technique for getting just the meat of the pepper.

I'll be interested to hear from those of your who made the original, as to which you prefer. I definitely like this version better, but that may be for the simple fact that I love having such a delicious dressing around. Enjoy!

Seared Scallops with Orange "Supremes" and Jalapeno Vinaigrette Ingredients:
Makes 4 Portions (not a bad idea to make a double batch of the vinaigrette)
2 navel oranges
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded, any white membranes removed
1/4 cup rice vinegar
*1/4 cup regular or light olive oil (extra virgin may be too strongly flavored for this subtly flavored dish)
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon grape seed, or vegetable oil
12 large fresh scallops, look for "day-boat" and/or "dry-pack" for best quality
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
*if you are making this for a salad dressing, maybe increase the oil to 1/3 cup.