Dale Talde's Top Chef Grilled Scallops with XO-Pineapple Fried Rice
Top Chef
Photo by James Ransom
- Serves
- 4
Dale Talde, a competitor on both Top Chef Season 4 and Top Chef All-Stars, is an authority on Southeast Asian cuisine. His mother, a Filipino immigrant, ignited his passion for cooking, which he brings with him to his restaurants, Talde, Pork Slope, and Thistle Hill Tavern -- all located in Brooklyn.
This dish appeared during a Quickfire challenge in Episode 8 of the 4th season. Padma asks the chefs to create a polished entrée in only fifteen minutes using rice -- and this is what Dale came up with. (According to him, he had the advantage of being familiar with cooking high-speed, high-heat Asian food.) He was right: In the episode, Art Smith chooses Talde’s dish as one of his favorites. The crunchy long beans perfectly complement the fluffy texture that the eggs give the rice; it’s a complete, balanced dish, and one you should be making at home.
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoon peanut oil, separated
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 3 tablespoon scallion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 2 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon XO sauce, such as Lee Kum Kee brand
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon chili oil, separated
- 12 scallops, trimmed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, separated
- 10 long beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
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Directions
- Step 1
Heat 1 teaspoon of the peanut oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook, stirring, until firm. Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside.
- Step 2
Add another 1 teaspoon peanut oil to the pan. Add the pineapple, onion, scallion, garlic, and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat and heat the rice, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Step 3
Season the soy sauce, XO sauce, fish sauce, and 1 teaspoon chili oil, then add the eggs to the rice.
- Step 4
Season the scallops with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
- Step 5
Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon peanut oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the long beans with 1/4 cup of water, then cover them to steam. Cook until crisp-tender. Season with sweet soy sauce and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Step 6
Heat a medium sauté pan or grill over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon chili oil, then the scallops, and cook them to medium, turning once, about 2 minutes.
- Step 7
To assemble, pile the rice on a large plate. Top with the long beans, then the scallops. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.