Bay Scallops with Mushrooms, Peppers, and Grilled Italian Sausage

Author's note: "I've always loved the lusty combination of scallops, peppers, and Italian sausage. In this dish we use tiny, succulent Nantucket Bay scallops and sometimes present them as a first course served in a scallop shell. If bay scallops are unobtainable, larger sea scallops may be substituted." - Chef Patrick O'Connell of The Inn at Little Washington

Reprinted with permission from Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine (Hachette Book Group 2006) compare Prices

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup plus a few drops vegetable oil
• 3 sweet Italian sausages
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into l-inch cubes
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into l-inch cubes
• 18 white button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 pounds fresh bay scallops
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• * * * To Serve * * *
• 2 tablespoons Pernod

Preparation:

1. Pour a few drops of vegetable oil into a small saute pan, add the sausages, and cook over medium heat until they are lightly browned and cooked through. Drain the sausages on paper towels. Set aside and keep warm.

2. In a large saute pan, heat half of the vegetable oil over high heat. Add the peppers and mushrooms. Saute quickly for several minutes. Add 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

3. Slice each sausage on the bias into 1/2-inch slices.

4. In the same pan, add the remaining vegetable oil over high heat. Saute the scallops for several minutes until just lightly browned. Do not overcook. Add the remaining garlic and the peppers and mushrooms, and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

5. Add the lemon juice, remove from heat, and swirl in the butter and parsley. Add the sausage slices.

To Serve

1. Divide the scallop mixture among 6 serving plates and sprinkle the scallops with a few drops of Pernod.

Chef's note: In order for the scallops to turn a lovely golden-brown color, it is essential that they be thoroughly dried before you attempt to saute them. A spritz of Pernod just before serving perfumes the scallops with the fragrance of fennel.

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