A couple of weeks ago I stopped at a farm stand in the Hamptons where I bought an exceptional blood orange infused olive oil.  A blood orange is a type of orange that has a red flesh and very strong citrus flavor.  This olive oil is fragrant and refreshing and light and I can’t stop thinking about the many ways in which I can use it.  So far my ideas include fish, chicken, roasted asparagus, avocados, salads, fruit, and used to cook French toast, olive oil cake and brownies.  My favorite idea was to combine a few of the aforementioned ideas and create a vinaigrette to use on an arugula, avocado, and heirloom tomato salad topped with seared scallops.  Heirloom tomatoes are one of summer’s greatest pleasures and generally arrive at farmer’s markets and in grocery stores at this exact point of the season; so I couldn’t resist including them in the dish.  The creaminess of the avocado cuts into the acid of the tomato and vinaigrette, while the arugula lends a peppery flavor, all balanced out with the sweet and savoriness of the scallop.  All around it’s a wonderful and light summer collaboration of local and fresh ingredients.

Pan Seared Scallops with Arugula, Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Salad in a Blood Orange Vinaigrette

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