Fancy scallops, easy. And a salad.

Until recently, I never cooked scallops at home. I always considered scallops a dish that I would eat in a restaurant. Then I was introduced to pistachio panko-crusted scallops by Pat (again, of salad dressing fame). The frozen scallops at Costco are really good. Plump and beautiful. And the best part? You can use as many as you need. Like five per person rather than the three you typically get in a restaurant.

Trader Joes has lovely shelled pistachios that I keep in the freezer. Panko is always in the pantry.

Prep is more of a process than a recipe. Melt some butter (2-3 TB) on the stove -not in the microwave unless you like cleaning up the explosion of butter. Add a 1/3 c or so of panko to a bowl. Chop 2-3 TB of pistachios finely but not to a powder. If you have some fresh parsley, finely chop it and add it to the bowl. Mix all together. You should have a consistency that holds together. Let it sit for a bit - an hour or so.

Butter a gratin dish - or some other baking vessel that you have. Place dried scallops into the dish and give them some room. Top each scallop with a mound of the topping. Bake at 425° for about 8-10 minutes. Tops should be browned and crisp - be careful not to overcook the scallops.

I also made a salad with some radicchio, a bit of lettuce, "the salad dressing," half an avocado, some orange segments.

Everything was prepped before Happy Hour and dinner was served in 15 minutes. And it was YUM.