Curried Scallop Cakes…ya’ want a little scallop with your curry?

Scallop Cakes

When I was in culinary school, we were having a class on wine tasting and Chef had asked each student to bring in an appetizer to pair with a wine.  I made these scallop cakes, and I served them as a slider on a lightly toasted mini bun, topped with a chili-lime aioli and a smidgen of tomato concasse (Kon-Kah-SAY, sounds fancy, but it’s a diced tomato that’s been peeled and seeded. It was a nice touch, anyway). Well, the cakes were gone in sixty seconds.  It’s my go-to appetizer whenever  I’m asked to bring something to a gathering.

The panko crumbs give them a nice crispy crunch on the outside, while the inside bursts with the combination of the curry and the sweet butteriness of the scallop.  My little tip is, when I’m forming the cakes, I take a 2 1/4 inch cookie cutter and press the scallop mixture into it.  By compressing the mixture, the cake won’t fall apart when you fry it.  It also insures that all your cakes will be the same size.  However, if you don’t have a cookie cutter, you can still roll them into balls and then flatten them with the palm of your hand.

To insure total scallop yumminess, don’t chop the scallops too finely. When you take a bite of one of these cakes, you want that taste of the scallop to be prominent.  And, just to kick the dish up a-notch, I found scallop shells at Cost Plus to serve them on.  Perfection!

Scallop Cakes

Curried Scallop Cakes

From Epicurious.com

Makes about 30 cakes

1 1/2 pounds fresh sea scallops cut into 1/4 inch pieces or gently pulsed in food processor

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 large egg yolks

3 scallions, chopped

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Vegetable oil

Mix first 9 ingredients and 1 1/2 cups of panko in a large bowl to blend.  Cover mixture and refrigerate 1 hour.

Place remaining 2 cups panko on large plate.  Take one heaping table spoon of scallop mixture and roll it into a ball and coat completely in the panko crumbs. Then, if you have a cookie cutter or ring mold, press it into the mold to form a round cake.

Heat enough vegetable oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat to come 1/4 inch up sides of pan.

Working in batches, saute scallop cakes until golden and cooked through.  Transfer scallop cakes to paper towels to drain.

These can be made 4 hours ahead.  Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat on baking sheet in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. They also freeze well. I place them in an airtight container, and then reheat in a 350 degree oven until heated through.