Seattle’s Best

Ingredients:

For the stuffing:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 small white Spanish onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
• 6 ounces calamari, chopped
• 6 ounces bay scallops, or larger sea scallops, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup chile de árbol sauce

For the chiles:

• 4 large fresh poblano chiles
• 1/2 pound white gouda cheese, shredded
• One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Chile de árbol sauce, for serving
• 1/2 cup crema fresca (sour cream for a substitute)

Method:

For the stuffing:

Preheat a gas grill or cast-iron grill pan over high heat, or preheat the broiler. Grill or broil the chiles about 4 inches from the heat, turning them over occasionally, until evenly blackened on all sides, 15-20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place the chiles in a paper or plastic bag and seal. Let stand until cool enough to handle and the skins have loosened, about 15 minutes. Peel off the skins. Cut a slit from the top of each down the side. Remove the seeds and veins. Set aside.

For the chiles:

Spoon the stuffing into the chiles and place in the baking sheet. Top with the cheese. Bake until heated through and the cheese is melted, 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the beans in a small saucepan with some water over medium heat. When warm, transfer to a blender and purée. Add water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
In the center of each of 4 large salad plates, spoon ¼ cup of the black bean purée. Place a chile on the purée. Drizzle with chile de árbol sauce and then the crema fresca.

Yield: 4 Servings