10 Summer Scallop Recipes In Peak Season

Summer is scallop season, with the most delicious mollusks of the year available between May and October. Check out these 10 summer scallop recipes, grab a pound or two of day boat or diver scallops — dry, if you please — and prepare to stand over a hot stove for five minutes, maximum. All the more time to spend with your dining companions!

In this rustic dish, sturdy fresh rosemary sprigs serve as the skewers. First, trim the sprigs to roughly 6-inch lengths, then use a small knife to carefully whittle the thicker ends to a point. Thread the scallops onto the rosemary skewers. It's easier than it sounds, and it will give you loads of flavor with only six ingredients.

Whereas raw scallops are sexy, soft, and delicate, their seared counterparts are meaty, juicy and rich. Cooked for mere seconds in a cast-iron pan and basted with butter (which melds with the scallops' natural brine to make the easiest-ever pan sauce), seared scallops are the best party trick because you don't have to stand at the stove for long to put out a dish that's refined, bright and totally delicious. Serve as-is for a casual dinner or make smaller portions for an elegant starter or first course for eight to ten people.

Bagna cauda, meaning "warm bath," is an Italian brew of olive oil, butter, garlic, and an unapologetic amount of anchovy. It's the centerpiece of Piemontese feasts, with a traditional crudité for dunking. To make a respectable pot, you will need good ancho­vies, the chubby ones packed in olive oil, tasty enough to be eaten right out of the jar.

This crisp, light breadcrumb coating is perfect for scallops. The scallops should be cooked in two batches but they may be breaded all at once. Make sure to cook them medium-rare. Serve with lemon and tartar sauce or any other creamy mayonnaise-based sauce.

Each bite of these stuffed scallops contains a burst of fennel, orange, parsley and pistachio.

Lemongrass can be nearly addictive, with its delicate lemony scent and flavor. No wonder it is pretty much indispensable in Thai cooking. I am seeing it more and more in ordinary supermarkets, and it is certainly available in Asian and specialty markets.

Instead of a bar, I'm a regular at my farmers' market. And in the fall, when I come across cauli­flower in a rainbow of colors, you know I'm adding it to my already ridiculously overstuffed bag. Because then I can make this simple and simply special pasta: Browned butter, fragrant garlic, bright lemon, and tender scallops, add some purple, orange, and green cauliflower and you just may have to take a picture before you dig in, it's that pretty. Luckily, the flavor of these cauli­flowers is the same as the white stuff, so even in the dead of winter, when no market sports the colorful types, you can still snuggle up with a bowl of this pasta while binge-watching Junk Food Flip and have the most perfect evening ever.

Cucharillas are pintxos served in spoons, often of the Chinese soupspoon variety. If you're lucky enough to have access to the incredible Taylor Bay scallops farmed on Cape Cod, I recommend using them and portioning three scallops per shell or spoon. Served nearly raw, the sweet scallops make a great match for salty jamón ibérico fat, and the sherry vinegar and the soy lend some acidity to cut through both. Although the use of soy may seem incongruous, Asian ingredients are popular among chefs in the Basque Country, who consider them "muy moderno."

It'll take dedication, but you can pull off Michelin star–quality meals at home with the help of (and, again, solid commitment to) award-winning chef Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidera's third cookbook. The culinary and creative minds behind Eleven Madison Park (plus legendary mixologist Leo Robitschek) come together once more for The NoMad Cookbook, a collection of recipes from the beloved New York City hotel restaurant.

What makes the squid ink pasta at Trattoria Bianca in New York City so addictive is the perfect combination of fresh seafood in one dish. First is the most obvious — the whole shrimp, scallops and clams. Next is the sea urchin, which is blended into the butter sauce, and finally there is the squid ink. Chef Julian Clauss-Ehlers adds squid ink to the pasta dough, giving the strands a striking black color and a hit of salinity that ties the whole thing together.