Scallops on the Grill

Ingredients

• 28 sea scallops, about 1 1/4 pounds
• Salt to taste if desired
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard, preferably with grains or seeds
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 zucchini, about 1/2 pound
• Vegetable oil for greasing grill

4 servings

Preparation

1. Preheat an outdoor grill to high.
2. Put scallops in a dish and add salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons olive oil, pepper flakes, mustard and thyme.
3. Trim off ends of zucchini and cut it crosswise into 16 slices, each approximately the same size. Add to the scallops in the dish and blend the ingredients.
4. Place one piece of zucchini on a skewer and add 2 scallops. Add another piece of zucchini and 2 more scallops. Add a third slice of zucchini, 3 more scallops and a final slice of zucchini. Repeat, using 3 more skewers and the remaining scallops and zucchini.
5. Brush the grill of the charcoal broiler with a light coating of oil. Place the skewers on the grill and cook about 1 minute. Turn to the opposite side and cook 1 minute. Cook on the 2 other sides about a minute each. Continue cooking about 2 minutes longer for a total cooking time of about 6 minutes. This cooking time will produce scallops that are medium-well done. Cook the scallops about 2 minutes longer if you wish them well done. Brush with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve hot.

About 20 minutes