I have a simple summer meal for you. Seared Scallops with Succotash.

It's a great warm weather dinner because it takes advantage of super sweet summer corn while it’s at its best. Besides there is no oven to turn on and very little hanging over a hot stove involved. The scallops are seared a mere 4 or 5 minutes. The succotash just a few moments longer. It could even be made ahead and served at room temperature. Further simplifying the preparation.

But I think its best served warm, with a cool and crisply acidic chardonnay. Which is no bother because two people working in tandem can get this meal on the table in 8 minutes flat, once the prep work is done.

Still, just because this is a quick cook meal does not mean you can get sloppy about the details. I am quite finicky about scallops.

Scallops should be served rare, if you cook them all the way through you are destroying their delicate nature. An overcooked scallop is a rubbery waste of money. But just because I won't submit to an overcooked scallop does not mean I want it undercooked or improperly cooked either. In fact I like quite a bit of crunchy crusty searing on my scallops.

Sometimes I get into trouble with you my gentle readers because I don’t always do “wow” recipes. What I mean is– seared scallops can knock it out of the park and many people are cruising the blogs looking for those iconic images to satisfy their tastiest food fantasies. So in my heart, I know today’s Avocado Watercress Salad with Green Beans will surely be a disappointment for those of you looking for truly inspired, gastro-molecular–gravity-defying-stacks of food. But my wallet (and my blood sugar) can’t afford to enjoy these treats on a daily basis.

I also know that several of you nice folks are gonna leave me sweet messages saying how you think all my recipes are “wow”.  To those of you so inclined, I’ll say “Thank You” in advance for those kind words, but there’s really no need to pat my ego this way. Because, as much as I love bringing on the wow-factor every once and again, I honestly enjoy real food and real life here just as much as anything.

That is why Sippity Sup is often about fresh takes on the familiar. My recipes tend to be simple, modern and colorful, though they have their roots in traditional styles. I find myself attracted to presentations that highlight some aspect of cooking, or perhaps a particular flavor or an ingredient that I love. I am drawn to simple pairings of diverse flavors. I draw on other cultures, but I am a slave to none. I think we should eat healthy, but I prefer classic techniques using real ingredients. Including real fats. I think that a bold hand and a deft palate allow the simple beauty of food to shine. Sometimes what’s not in a recipe can be every bit as important as what is.

This is one of those recipes. It seems like there are a lot of steps. It's best if you can do them over a day or two. But I promise you these are the very things that make this recipe so EASY! Because all the steps take only a few minutes of actual activity, and they can be done all at once or over several days. The cooking itself is a snap and can be made snappier with a self-timed oven.

The method of preserving the tuna is really more of an oil-poaching method. It's a wonderful method to master and can be adapted in so many ways– from salads, to main courses. I particularly like serving this tuna on toasted baguette slices with shards of red onion! So you see, it's worth the effort, because the technique will pay you back– I promise. I think I may have originally learned this method from an Alice Waters recipe. But I am pretty sure serving it with a Panzanella Salad was my idea! But don't quote me on it...

This recipe has other virtues as well. It is a great opportunity to use up that day old bread, and those less than ideal off-season tomatoes you stupidly bought. What were you thinking? Plus, it's fun to introduce new tastes to the people in your life who may take a bit of prodding when it comes to unusual or strong flavors. I consider it our duty to educate them.

I call it a Three Bean Winter Panzanella Salad with Preserved Tuna.