My mother taught me a recipe for steamed scallops a few years ago, and it is one of my favorite dishes. It is a refreshing meal with a variety of colorful vegetables and clean flavors. If your living situation at the moment gives you access to a stove, and if you are as busy as many people seem to be these days, this is an easy, delicious and unique recipe for dinner that I highly recommend. Here are the ingredients:

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
1 15 oz can white beans, rinsed
1 fennel bulb, halved, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ lb sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry

The key to this recipe is that the ingredients are thrown together and then divided evenly and dished onto pieces of parchment paper. You then make the parchment paper into an envelope, enclosing the ingredients, and stick the packets into the oven. It’s an amazing technique because the moisture within the packet steams the ingredients evenly and thoroughly. The stove would otherwise dry your food out, but this way, the moisture is kept in.

Here are more specific directions:

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Gently toss the tomatoes, beans, fennel, parsley, oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
2. Tear off four 15-inch squares of parchment paper and arrange on 2 baking sheets.
3. Dividing evenly, spoon the bean mixture into the center of each square, top with the scallops, and cover with another square of parchment. Fold the edges over several times to seal.
4. Bake the packets for 15 minutes, then transfer to plates. Serve with a knife to slit open the packet and be careful of the steam that will escape.

Instead of using squares of parchment paper, our family uses circles, and creates pretty half-moon shaped packets that look like pastries. We also serve it preserved in it's packet for each person to open individually. I find it to be a lot of fun to prepare and to serve to others. This recipe also makes fish more appealing to children! It's best in the summer, with bread and a salad. Enjoy!

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/scallops-parchment-10000001140541/index.html