A low-calorie recipe for scallop and cherry tomato sauté

Scallops are infinitely adaptable, pairing well with many vegetables and herbs, spices and sauces. Here, these succulent shellfish are sautéed with cherry tomatoes, seasoned with garlic and basil and enlivened with a vermouth-based sauce.

• Preparation time: 5 minutes.
• Cooking time: 10 minutes.
• Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 500 g (1 lb) sea scallops
• 20 ml (4 tsp) cornstarch, divided
• 10 ml (2 tsp) olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 500 g (1 pint) cherry tomatoes
• 150 ml (2/3 c) dry vermouth, white wine or chicken broth
• Salt to taste
• 75 g (1/3 c) chopped fresh basil
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) cold water

Instructions:

1. Dredge scallops in 15 millilitres (3 teaspoons) cornstarch, shaking off excess. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add scallops and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer scallops to bowl.
2. Add garlic to pan and cook 1 minute.
3. Add tomatoes and cook until they begin to collapse, about 4 minutes.
4. Add vermouth, salt and basil to pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
5. Meanwhile, stir together remaining 5 millilitres (1 teaspoon) cornstarch and cold water in small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan and cook, stirring, until sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
6. Return scallops to pan, reduce to a simmer, and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute.

• When a dish is very low in calories (like this one), the percentage of calories from fat can seem high, even though there is just a small amount of fat in the recipe.
• The fat that is used here is heart-friendly olive oil, which is a healthy monounsaturated fat.
• Moreover, the mineral-rich scallops are naturally low in both saturated and total fat.

Each serving provides:

• Key nutrients: 180 calories, 30 calories from fat, 4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 20 g protein, 10 g carbohydrates, 1 g fibre, 190 mg sodium.
• Blood pressure nutrients: 21 mg vitamin C, 88 mg magnesium, 637 mg potassium, 60 mg calcium.

• Delete the scallops entirely and just prepare the tomato and basil mixture as a side vegetable dish. Prepare the recipe beginning with Step 2, but add the olive oil to sauté the garlic. Omit Step 4.
• Shrimp and Cherry Tomato Sauté: Substitute 500 grams (1 pound) large peeled and deveined shrimp for the scallops and cook as in Step 1. Then return to the pan as in Step 4.

This low-calorie meal is ideal for any diet. Follow this simple recipe and try making scallop and cherry tomato sauté tonight!