The Ultimate Greek Salad with Grilled Scallops

Well, you know if you see "Ultimate" in my title, that it's time for another episode of Tyler Florence Fridays. But if you are a fan of Tylers (or, gulp, Tyler himself), you might be saying to yourself..."hey, wait a minute Tyler doesn't have an Ultimate Greek Salad with Grilled Scallops!" I know. But he does have an Ultimate Greek Salad with Grilled Calamari, and unfortunately what I don't have is calamari. I have nothing against calamari, some of my finest memories include calamari.

No they don't. But they could.

Sorry. I just can't get calamari around here. I can't even get good scallops, all I can get are those tiny things frozen in a bag. So, I subbed, tiny little scallops for calamari. Think of it as calamari with the hole filled in.

This, of course, was wonderful. I've had Greek salads with grilled chicken, but never grilled scallops. They added a sweet and smokey flavor that was very enjoyable. Another winner from Tyler! This came from Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time.

The Ultimate Greek Salad with Grilled Scallops
Serves 4

1 pound of scallops

vinaigrette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grilling
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks
1 medium red onion, sliced thin (I cut into chunks)
1 medium cucumber, sliced thin (I cut into chunks)
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Fresh oregano leaves, for garnish

To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, dried and fresh oregano, thyme and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 of the vinaigrette over the scallops; set the other 1/2 aside while you make the salad.

In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, cheese, olives, and romaine. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine. Let marinate while you grill the scallops.

Heat the grill or a grill pan and oil it lightly. Grill the scallops for 2 minutes on each side, no longer or they will be tough (I just kind of tossed them around in a grill basket). To serve, put the salad onto a large platter and top it with the grilled scallops. Garnish with fresh oregano leaves and lemon wedges.

The Ultimate Greek Salad with Grilled Scallops