Al Meister’s camp specialty is an extraordinary dish, one he calls Broiled Scallops Almondaise.
¼ lb. Scallops per serving
½ teaspoon melted butter
1 teaspoon sliced almonds
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1-2 teaspoons chopped parsley
“I favor fresh seas scallops, although frozen or bay scallops can be substituted.
“Drain and cut the scallops in pieces three-quarters of an inch in size. Place in individual dishes and top with melted butter.
“You then place under a broiler until scallops turn milky. Do not brown. Remove from broiler.
“Beat 1 egg in the ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, peppered for seasoning.
“Sprinkle sliced or slivered almonds over scallops.
“Pour beaten egg combination over almond topping and scallops. Return to broiler. Cook until almonds are golden brown and egg appears cooked. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve at once.”
Meister usually serves his scallops almondaise with small, sliced potatoes in clarified butter.
“In camp or at home I find the canned, small potatoes make the right addition for a dinner of broiled scallops almondaise.
“I like a chilled white wine to nicely compliment this offering,” says Meister.
The well-known fisheries scientist is confident you’ll like his favorite method of preparing grouse and scallops, stating: “If those two recipes don’t put the ruffed grouse and the blue-eyed scallop on the endangered species list, I don’t know what will!”
I don’t know how close either the grouse or scallop are to making the list of endangered species, but I do know one will be reluctant to join or remain a loyal member of Weight Watchers, with choice offerings such as Broiled Scallops Almondaise around.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Best of Bud is a compilation of some of the advice and recipes gathered by the late Ralph W. “Bud” Leavitt who retired as the BDN’s executive sports editor and outdoor editor in the fall of 1988. He contin-ued to write a weekly column for the paper until his death on Dec. 20, 1994. During his nearly half century as the BDN’s outdoor columnist he penned more than 13,000 columns and one book, Twelve Months in Maine. He starred in his own TV program, The Bud Leavitt Show, that aired on the Hildreth Network for 20 years and the nationally acclaimed Woods and Waters outdoor program on the Public Broadcasting System. While some of the folks Bud in-terviewed have died, their contributions and memories remain with us.