Scallion-Wrapped Scallop Kabobs

First, I'd like to apologize for our lack of posts as well as posting on everyone else's blogs. We had prepared some posts ahead of time to space out during our trip, but things got busy and we had limited internet access - you know how it goes. Also, towards the end of the trip, Michael's grandmother, Betty Stout, suddenly got quite sick. He fortunately was able to get back in time to see her and say his goodbyes before she passed away. It has been a sad and emotional past few days for him and his family. She lived a wonderful life, raising five amazing children and staying very involved in the lives of her seven grandchildren. She will be deeply missed - keep Michael and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

On a lighter note, these are some scallop skewers we made before the trip. Theys make a fun presentation, with the scallops encased in a scallion wrapping. The mirin-based sauce is tasty, but if you’re planning a scallop meal to impress guests, I’d go for the scallops in a wine-mushroom sauce (just because they're soo delicious). If you do decide to try the skewers, I’d have some extra scallions handy. I tore quite a few while trying to keep them wrapped around the scallops as I was threading them onto the skewers. Michael didn’t seem to have this problem though, so it may have just been me and my hastiness. : ) We modified this recipe from our favorite, Eating Well. We served them over somen noodles, which are a thin japenese noodle. We found them in the international section of our grocery store. If you can't find them, you could substitute any thin pasta.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 8 oz. somen noodles
  
• 12 small-to-medium dry sea scallops
  
• 8 medium button mushrooms, halved
• 6 scallions

Directions

1. Combine soy sauce, wine, mirin, sugar, honey, Worcestershire and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, pour into a medium bowl, and cool to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the sauce in a small bowl. Add scallops and mushrooms to the remaining sauce; stir well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (but no longer: the scallops will begin to break down if marinated too long).
3. Preheat grill to medium. Oil the grill rack (see Tip).
4. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to instructions on the box.
   
5. Trim scallion whites and reserve for another use. Separate the scallion greens into individual long greens. Wrap one scallion green around the perimeter of each scallop and thread the scallops onto the skewers, piercing through the sides and thereby keeping the scallions in place. Alternate 4 mushroom halves and 3 scallion-wrapped scallops on each skewer. (Reserve any remaining scallion greens for another use.)
6. Grill the skewers, basting with some of the reserved sauce, for 3 minutes. Turn, baste, and continue grilling just until the scallops are firm and opaque, about 3 minutes more.