Food for My Family

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Lemongrass Scallops and a Nakano Giveaway

· · 71 Comments

We eat quite a bit of food with a Southeast Asian flare around here. Sometimes I make it; other times I seek it out and purchase it, but either way, we’re no stranger to the flavors or the fantastic smells that cooking with rice wines and vinegars, teeny, tiny chili peppers or lemongrass and ginger bring.

I was recently asked to try out Nakano’s Seasoned Rice Vinegar and to give a lucky reader the chance to do the same. I agreed, seeing that Nakano’s Natural Rice Vinegar was hanging out in my cupboard already. It seemed like a great opportunity to try what else they had to offer, and I decided to give the Red Pepper variety a spin along with some delicious scallops and a bit of lemongrass. Start by chooping up your lemongrass, ginger and peppers (wear gloves to protect yourself from the long-lasting burning that can come from chopping hot peppers).

Start by chopping up a bit of lemongrass, ginger and a Thai pepper or two depending on how hot and spicy you like your scallops.
Add your marinade ingredients to a shallow bowl or plate: rice vinegar, lemongrass, ginger, 1-2 Thai peppers, soy sauce and sesame oil.

Give your sea scallops a bath in the marinade, only 2 minutes per side. Longer marinating times with scallops can make them mushy, so don’t over-marinate.

Over medium-high heat get a bit of canola oil heating in a pan. Place the scallops in and cook for 2-3 minutes until they form a nice crust on one side.

Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the second side. Remove the scallops from the pan and set aside.

De-glaze the pan by adding the marinating liquid to the pan. Continue to cook the sauce over medium heat to reduce for 5-7 minutes.

When the sauce is thick and reduced, it’s time to eat.

Serve the scallops on their own or over rice and vegetables, using the reduced sauce to pour over the top. These were delicious and the perfect complement to the red Thai curry we served them alongside (recipe to follow). So, while you’re waiting for me to get going on that recipe, I hope you enjoy this one, and a little giveaway to go along with it.

All in all, I love the idea of the seasoned rice vinegars, but I have to say I’ll stick to the Nakano Natural variety. I’m a purist, and ingredients that read: “rice vinegar, water” are just what I am looking for, no sugar or other sweeteners needed.

Enter the Giveaway:

One winner will receive a $25 Visa Gift Card and bottle of Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar to try, along with a coupon and recipe booklet for even more ideas.
1. Tell me what your favorite recipes with rice vinegar are. If you haven’t used it before, tell me which ones you’ve seen that have caught your eye.

2. Follow @FoodforMyFamily on Twitter and tweet the following. Then come back and let me know you’ve tweeted!
Enter to win a $25 Gift Card and bottle of Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar from @FoodforMyFamily: http://bit.ly/9E1UUv
3. Join the Food for My Family community on Facebook. I’ve been working on asking reader questions and looking for feedback, so it’d be great to have your input there as well!


Giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. CT on Friday, 9/10. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and notified by email. In the event that the winner doesn’t respond to the email within 48 hours, I’ll choose a new winner.

Disclosure: I was given the Nakano Seasoned Rice Vinegar for this recipe and compensated for my review. The opinions expressed are my own.

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons lemongrass, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1-2 Thai peppers, finely chopped
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
6-8 large sea scallops
2 tablespoons canola oil

Mix together rice vinegar, lemongrass, ginger, Thai peppers, soy sauce and sesame oil in a shallow plate or bowl. Take the sea scallops and remove the tiny side muscle. Place the sea scallops in the marinade for 2 minutes on each side.

Heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized skillet. When the oil is hot, place the scallops in the pan, searing on both sides 2-3 minutes until a crust forms. Be sure to watch for the crust as you may need an extra minute more depending on the heat of your burner and type of pan you’re using.

Remove the seared scallops from the pan and set aside, tented with a bit of foil to keep them warm. Add the marinade to the pan to deglaze it. Continue to cook the marinade over medium heat, stirring frequently, to reduce about 5-7 minutes until the amount has decreased by half. Drizzle the sauce over the scallops and serve with rice and sautéed vegetables.


Makes 2-3 servings.
Food for My Family
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. I like to use Nakano seasoned rice vinegar in a dressing I make for Sumi Salad. It’s a cabbage salad made with Ramen noodles. But the recipe I have posted I will definitely try as my lemon grass needs to be harvested and I must find a use for it!

    Reply

  4. I have never used rice vinegar, but i am all about trying new things. I have heard nothing but GOOD things about it, and am excited to potentially win some!

    Reply

  5. I like using Nakano’s seasoned rice vinegar whenever I make wontons. I use it in the filling as well as the dipping sauce. I also use it in stir fry and in a pork ball recipe. MMmmmmm I will be trying your recipe in the near future too.

    Reply

  10. This looks like a yummy and easy recipe! One of the recipes I use rice vinegar for is a shrimp pasta salad. The vinegar makes it tangy.

    Reply

  14. I’ve never used Rice Vinegar before, but I think that Martha Stewart’s Rice Vinegar Dipping Sauce recipe looks delicious!

    Reply

  18. I love rice vinegar! Since we are a gluten free family we have used it in many recipes! It is really good in a salad as well!

    Reply

  24. I have a great recipe for cucumber pickles (the refrigerator kind) that involves rice vinegar and some sesame oil. I found it on allrecipes. It’s great!

    Reply

  32. One of my favorite recipes to use Rice Vinegar in is PHO’. I don’t believe it is original to the authentic recipe, but I really like the punch it gives to the broth.

    Reply

  42. I love rice vinegar. There is a lot that I use it for. Anything from orange chicken, to marinating cucumbers and onions, to dipping sauces. YUM!

    Reply

  43. The Bourbon Chicken (copy-cat type) recipe is one of my favorites to fix. Enjoyed the review of Nakano’s Seasoned Rice Vinegar, will be looking for it next time I go to the store.

    Reply

  48. I have used rice vinegar in the past, but not for a while. The scallops recipe you show here looks good. I have only fixed scallops once I think.

    Thanks
    KellyH

    Reply

  51. I’m currently using the
    Grilled Chicken Salad with Fresh Raspberry Dressing recipe that I found on the Nakano website and loving it.

    Reply

  57. I have used rice vinegar in a BBQ mopping sauce recipe. The rest is in the fridge. I will probably try your scallops recipe. Looks great!

    Reply

  58. I would love to try the Garlic-Ginger Chicken Stir Fry! I have purchased rice vinegar in the past but never used it.

    Reply

  61. My fiance makes a delicious ginger lime salad dressing with rice vinegar. The other day, we decided to branch out and try it on some stir fried tofu and veggies and it was great!

    Reply

  62. I use it in stir fry and for a yummy cucumber salad I make- have used this brand and LOVE it!
    Thank you!
    Maggie M.

    Reply

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