Grilled Scallops and Vegetables with Tomato Dressing

I love grilling vegetables. It gives your vegetables more flavor and a depth of flavor that you cannot achieve if you steam or boil them. The same can be said about grilling seafood. One of my favorite things from the sea to grill are scallops. They take absolutely no time at all to cook and takes well to grilling. The scallops alongside the grilled vegetables will make a fantastic and healthy meal that is sure to please. Use whatever vegetables you like to eat. In this recipe I used zucchini, red onion, red pepper, and tomato.

Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
half a red onion
one large zucchini
half a red pepper
one large tomato
half a pound to a pound of scallops
salt
black pepper


Dressing:
one tablespoon of red wine vinegar
tablespoon chopped cilantro
teaspoon dried mint
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
pulp of the large tomato
tablespoon finely minced red onion
salt
black pepper

Method:
First wash the vegetables under cool running water. With the zucchini you should cut it in half length wise and then slice the zucchini on the bias so you make zucchini half moons. Next you should cut the large tomato into wedges. Make sure to take out the pulp from the tomato and reserve for the dressing. Cut the red pepper into large chunks. Cut the red onion half into wedges. You should get four wedges out of the red onion half. Place the vegetables into a mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Make sure that the vegetables are thoroughly coated with the olive oil.

Prepare your grill or grill pan to medium to medium high heat. Coat the grill grates or your grill pan with some canola oil. Wipe off any excess oil with a wad of paper towel.

While the grill is heating up, you should prepare the dressing. In a small mixing bowl combine the tomato pulp, tablespoon of red wine vinegar, tablespoon chopped cilantro, teaspoon dried mint, 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika, tablespoon of finely minced red onion, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix all of the ingredients until they are fully mixed. Set the dressing aside for serving later.

Preheat your oven to 300°F to keep the grilled vegetables warm after they are done grilling.

Grill your vegetables for 3 minutes per side. If you cannot fit all of the vegetables on your grill or grill pan, cook in stages to promote even cooking. If you have to cook the vegetables in stages, place the already grilled vegetables on a foil lined baking sheet in your preheated oven.

While the vegetables are grilling, rinse the scallops under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place the scallops into a bowl with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Make sure to thoroughly mix the scallops with the extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. When you have grilled all of the vegetables you can grill the scallops for 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Serve the grilled scallops alongside the grilled vegetables. Drizzle the tomato dressing over the scallops and vegetables and you are ready to eat. Enjoy!