Basil, Scallop and Squash Skewers

Did you know that basil goes deliciously with shellfish? Here’s a recipe to try out. Grilled skewers with basil, scallops and butternut squash. Seriously good.

Scallops, or really any shellfish, are seriously delicious with basil. In this recipe, the basil is threaded onto a skewer between a scallop and a piece of par-cooked butternut squash. The basil flavors both of them as they get some toasty grill marks. The basil ends up wilted and soft. There’s also a garlic dip with these that brings everything together to create some fabulous mouthfuls.

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GRILLED SCALLOPS, BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BASIL SKEWERS WITH GARLIC DIP

Did you know that basil goes deliciously with shellfish? Here’s a recipe to try out. Grilled skewers with basil, scallops and butternut squash. Seriously good.

• Author: Amy Bowen
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 6–6 inch wooden skewers
• ½ of a 3 lb. butternut squash (the narrower top half), peeled
• salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. grape seed or vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 6–1 inch thick sea scallops (about 1/2 lb.)
• 12 medium-sized basil leaves
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

1. Put skewers in water to soak.
2. Cut the squash into 12 cubes. Put in a medium saucepan with ½ tsp. salt and the sugar and add water just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until a skewer goes through the middle easily, 4-7 minutes. Drain. Toss gently with the oil.
3. Preheat the grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Toss the butter with the scallops.
4. Onto a soaked skewer thread a cube of squash, a basil leaf, a scallop and then another basil leaf and another cube of squash. Repeat with remaining skewers. Grill until scallops are just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side.
5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the yogurt, garlic, lemon zest, chopped basil, black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Serve the skewers with the dip.

Amy Bowen

Amy had no clue how to cook until she became the food reporter for a daily newspaper in Minnesota. At 25, she even struggled with boxed mac and cheese. These days, Amy is a much better cook, thanks to interviewing cooks and chefs for more than 10 years. She even makes four cheese macaroni and cheese with bacon, no boxed mac in sight. Amy is also on the editorial team at The Cookful.

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