Paradise Point Resort & Spa
San Diego, California

Explore the lush tropical island resort of Paradise Point Resort & Spa, including the full service Spa at Paradise Point.  Paradise Point, which recently completed a $20 million renovation, features comfortable, California beach bungalow-style guest rooms amidst lush, tropical gardens and meandering lagoons with award-winning waterfront fine dining. 

In honor of the New Year, in January 2012  Chef Jessie Lee Williams of Paradise Point created this specialty dish featuring kumquats with seared diver scallops. Native to China, these small orange-like fruits are a symbol of prosperity and a traditional gift at Lunar New Year.  Like other citruses, kumquats are the perfect addition to savory dishes. Cooking mellows their acidity, making for great chutneys and relishes that complement pork, duck, and seafood, which is why Chef Jessie Lee Williams incorporated them into a diver scallop dish. Simply sliced raw, the tart pulp inside kumquats adds a pucker-worthy zing to salads of bitter greens like endive or frisee.

Scallops:

5 Fresh “Day Boat” Scallops

Kumquat-Chardonnay Glaze

1 lb (approximately 10) kumquats
1 cup rice wine vinegar
12 oz chardonnay
½ cup sugar
1 ea shallot
8 oz water
2 ea sprigs of thyme

Celeriac Puree

1 celery root peeled & diced
¼ cup yellow chopped onion
1 garlic clove
Enough chicken stock to cover celery root in the pot
1/2 cup half-and-half or 1/4 cup heavy cream
2 ozs white wine

DIRECTIONS

For the Glaze, deseed the kumquats, remove the pith, and chop roughly. Combine in a small sauce pot simmer all items except the sprig of thyme, for approximately 10 minutes. Strain through fine chinois. Place pulp in blender and puree. Pour mixture one more time through chinois and add the one sprig of chopped thyme. Pour mixture into a container and let cool.

For the Scallops, season with salt, pepper, fresh chopped parsley and sear scallops in a hot pan with about a table spoon of olive oil or canola oil.  Set aside.

For the Puree, cook the celery root with onions and garlic in the stock until soft. Drain off chicken stock into another container and reserve to blend the celery root into puree. Poor pure white wine into sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add cream and celery root puree to the white wine and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minute and puree again in a blender. Add a few pieces of unsalted butter to give a richer flavor. If needed add more chicken stock to thin out sauce to desired preference.

Plate with a modest dollop of puree, topped by scallops, and drizzled with glaze.

Nutrition Stats PER SCALLOP:

Calories 259.5
Total Fat 4.7 g
Saturated Fat 2.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.4 g
Cholesterol 25.8 mg
Sodium 1,007.3 mg
Potassium 345.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 31.4 g
Dietary Fiber 3.0 g
Sugars 22.3 g
Protein 11.2 g
Vitamin A 4.9 %
Vitamin B-12 1.3 %
Vitamin B-6 5.7 %
Vitamin C 29.9 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 0.6 %
Calcium 6.9 %
Copper 5.7 %
Folate 3.7 %
Iron 6.3 %
Magnesium 5.6 %
Manganese 20.0 %
Niacin 8.8 %
Pantothenic Acid 1.8 %
Phosphorus 7.1 %
Riboflavin 9.3 %
Selenium 4.0 %
Thiamin 4.3 %
Zinc 2.7 %

Have you blogged this recipe? Let us know about it and we'll include your recipe's photograph and a link to your blog. Tweaks and adaptations welcome as long as it remains healthy! Origin should be credited and linked as: Spa Cuisine courtesy of SpaIndex.com: Guide to Spas. Attribution to contributing spa resorts and other sponsors should also be included, when available.

Back to All Spa Recipes Print Friendly