Looking for a great smoky appetizer or snack but don’t want to go to the trouble of firing up the charcoal or gas grill? Then think stove top smoker and prepare to bring the best out of mushrooms when they get wood fired for full flavor. I’ll bring you the easy stove top smoker technique that takes less than 30 minutes and then offer up a super easy but full of flavor smoked mushroom toast with kale and ricotta.
OUR FINISHED HOT SEARED SCALLOPS GARNISHED TO PERFECTION!
HOT SEARED SCALLOPS!
Scallop is just one of many bivalve mollusks with a similar appearing shell like the clam, mussel, or oyster. They tend to be found in clear waters where there is sand or fine gravel. There are variations in sizing depending on how they will be used in a recipe. Today, we are featuring a simple stove top cooking and smoking technique that produces exceptional wood-flavor and searing to the scallop. This will be finished off with an orange-lime vinaigrette.
Hot Seared Scallops- Easy Ingredients for an Easy Technique
Bringing smoke flavor to stuffed squid done on the plancha will provide wonderful and unique flavor to this appetizer.
STUFFED SQUID COOKED ON THE PLANCHA
We love demonstrating the versatility of SmokinLicious® products with all types of equipment. We’re taking our Piccolo® wood chips to the plancha to smoke infuse some stuffed squid for a unique appetizer. Don’t own a plancha? You can do the same thing with a standard stovetop griddle and a small roasting rack. Or, use a charcoal or gas grill with some wood chunks for the same smoky flavor.
Plancha Cooking
A plancha is a flat top grill made of heavy metal that can be placed on any type of heat source: electric, gas, infrared, induction, charcoal grill, gas grill. Basically, a plancha is a griddle made of metal.
What’s great about a plancha is you can do simple hot smoke infusion using a micro wood chip that is quite fast due to the intense heat these quality metal cookware pieces produce.
My plancha is made by the French company, Mastrad. I prepare the plancha by placing it on my heat source – in this case my gas range – set the heat level to medium-high, place a handful of SmokinLicious®Piccolo® Wood Chips in Beech size #10 on the plancha, and place the two smoking racks on the griddle. I’ll give the wood chips about 5 minutes to heat up and start releasing smoke, then it’s time to place on the stuffed squid bodies.
1-1/2 heads of frisee or other green lettuce, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons capers
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, zested and juiced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1-1/2 pounds squid, bodies only, rinsed – should be about 8 bodies
Stuffed Squid- Making Stuffing
Time to make the squid stuffing. Taking a medium bowl, combine the seeded and diced tomato, chopped greens, and capers. In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, lime juice and zest, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over the stuffing mixture and toss to coat.
Stuffing the Squid
Taking one squid body at a time, fill with the stuffing mix using a teaspoon within ½ inch of the open top. Then lace a toothpick through the top. Brush all the bodies with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Then they’re ready to place on the hot plancha.
Stuffed Squid- Plancha Cooking
With the wood chips hot and releasing smoke vapor, I place the readied stuffed squid on the cooking racks. These will cook and smoke for about 7 minutes before I will turn them. Another 4-5 minutes on the other side, and you’ll see a golden hue and plump shiny bodies emerge. Turn off the heat to your plancha and carefully remove the squid. Cut into 1-inch slices and serve warm.
There are many variations to stuffing squid bodies but this is one that is essentially vegetarian in design so it can be enjoyed by everyone.
