Scallops and monkfish liver over polenta and ramps

I went to the farmers market last weekend and came home with a few scallops, a big piece of monkfish liver and a few bundles of ramps. The seafood vendor often has monkfish liver and I've eyed it several times but have never actually bought it or cooked it myself. I love getting the steamed, cold monkfish liver served in Japanese restaurants with some scallions, grated daikon and a ponzu sauce, so was curious. I talked with one of the folks working that morning and she said I could just cook it any way that I'd cook any other liver, pan-fried or sauteed.

When I got home, I decided to serve it all together. So, I made a basic polenta with a little cream cheese to add a little tang and creaminess, sauteed the ramps separately, pan-fried the monkfish liver, and then seared the scallops. It all made a lovely farmers market lunch!

Basic polenta:

• 1 cup medium to coarse round corn meal
• 3-1/2 cups water or broth
• 1/3 cup light or regular cream cheese, more if you like
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• Salt to taste

Bring water to a boil in a medium heavy saucepan. Add a good pinch of salt, and then whisk in the polenta. Lower the heat to low and let simmer away until the polenta is cooked and tender, about 15-20 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the butter and cream cheese and stir in. Taste and adjust for salt.

Monkfish liver:

Soak the monkfish liver in water for  at least an hour, changing the water a few times. Trim any veins or membrane pieces if there are any.  Cut into two pieces if you like to make it easier to handle. Pat dry with paper towels and sprinkle a little salt over it. Heat up a little olive oil and butter in a small pan over medium high heat. Add the liver and cook for about 3 minutes. Put a lid on the pan, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes. Flip the livers over and let brown for a few more minutes, and then again, put the lid on and cook another few minutes. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Scallops:

Try to buy fresh dry scallops if you can. Pat dry and sprinkle a little salt. Heat a little olive oil and butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add scallops and let them brown, undisturbed for two minutes. Flip and brown the other sides in the pan for another 2 to 3 minutes. They should be just cooked through, and almost a little rate in the middle.

Ramps:

Trim the ramps and cut into 1-1/2" pieces and saute in a pan with a little olive oil, season lightly with a little salt and pepper.

To serve, put a little polenta down on the plate, top with some of the sauteed ramps, a few scallops, and a few slices of monkfish liver. Top with some snipped chives if you like.