Grilled Scallops with Basil Stuffing

This is one of my newly found favorite seafood recipes. I made this for iheartcookingclubs and I picked this Mark Bittman's recipe for this week's "Herb Garden" theme. We have been cooking with Mark Bittman for sometime now but I havn't had a chance to participate till now. This recipe is so delicious, quick, and easy. I wanted to find larger scallops but these worked out just fine for me. The sweetness of the scallops and the tasty herb stuffing goes so well together and I will be making this again and again. Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds or more large sea scallops

Mince the basil, garlic, salt and pepper together until very fine, almost a puree (you can do this in a food processor, but it really won't save you time or effort). Mix in a small bowl or cup with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

Make a deep horizontal slit in the side of each of the scallops, but don't cut all the way through. Fill each scallop with about ? teaspoon of the basil mixture; close. Pour the remaining oil onto a plate or pan and turn the scallops in it. Let sit while you preheat a gas grill or start a charcoal fire; it should be very hot before grilling, with the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.

Place the scallops on the grill (don't pour the remaining oil over them, as it will catch fire), and grill 2 to 3 minutes per side, no more. Serve immediately, with lemon wedges.


The basil stuffing.













Stuffed scallops.
















I did mine in a cast iron skillet on the stove instead of grilling to save time.










Browned and ready to eat scallops.














Delious!!! I was thinking how wonderful this would be if paired with the right wine.....