Salmon and Scallop Skewers with Romesco Sauce

8 8-inch wooden skewers, soaked in cool water for at least 1 hour

8 ounces of salmon filet (either one large piece or several smaller pieces) cut into 8 equal chunks

8 sea scallops

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper

3 TBS fresh lime juice

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks

1 red onion, cut into 1/ 1/4 inch chunks

1 poblano chili pepper, cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks

Sauce

1 roasted red pepper, seeded, peeled, and roughly chopped

1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon roughly chopped almonds (8 or 9 whole almonds)

2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/4 cup of olive oil

Pinch of salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F or preheat the grill on which you'll cook the skewers. (You can throw the skewers on the grill or use your oven, whichever you prefer.)

In a 9-inch square Pyrex dish combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and lime juice.

Add the scallops and salmon to the dish with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate while you make the sauce.

In a blender, combine the roasted pepper, tomatoes, almonds, garlic sherry vinegar, and 1/4 cup of olive oil, blending until smooth. (Note: If you like you can toss whole almonds and peeled garlic cloves into the blender but I find giving them a rough chop first prevents any large chunks from ending up under the blender blades.) Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Remove the salmon and scallops from the marinade, and discard the liquid. With a paper towel pat dry each scallop and chunk of fish. (If you don't dry each piece they'll steam while cooking and have a soft exterior rather than a crisp one.)

Thread each skewer with onion chunks, one salmon chunk, red and poblano pepper chunks, and a scallop. Set the skewers either over a grill or on baking sheet and place the baking sheet on the top rack of your oven, or under the broiler. Cook for 4 minutes and then rotate the baking sheet in the oven and give each skewer a half turn. Cook another 4 minutes or until the salmon is firm to the touch and the scallops have begun to brown on their edges.

You can arrange two criss-crossed skewers on each plate and spoon Romesco sauce over them or pile the skewers on a serving platter and serve the sauce in a bowl, allowing everyone to take as much sauce as they'd like.