Strawberry Salad with Grilled Scallops

Strawberries, scallops, and peppery arugula all taste like summer to me. After a long winter, there is nothing I crave more than strawberries. Well, maybe heirloom tomatoes, but they don’t arrive until later in the summer, and I don’t want to rush things.

Strawberries, plump and red, if you are lucky, juicy enough that they are more than a little messy to eat, are perfect on their own. We all know that they make a happy union with shortcake and cream, and who doesn’t love a strawberry cupcake? I foresee myself making all of the above, but this past weekend, I wanted a strawberry and scallop salad.

Salads are the essence of summer, their simple preparation welcome after a day in the sun. I started this salad by cleaning and slicing strawberries on the beautiful Oxo cutting board I got at Eat, Write, Retreat.

I paused for a second to smell the sweetness of the raw scallops before putting them on a piping hot grill pan. I love how a fresh scallop smells as much as I love the taste. I did my best not to move them around in hopes of getting a golden brown, caramel color on each side.

While I left the scallops alone, I plated fresh arugula, strawberries, and crumbled goat cheese, finally adding the scallops when cooked through. They took no more than six minutes total.

I thought about adding some honey balsamic vinegar to the salad, but the flavors were perfect on their own. Happy, happy almost summer.

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries?