- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup dry sherry (eyeball it)
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 12 scallops, muscle discarded, patted dry
- 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 pound lump crabmeat
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay or other seafood seasoning
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional oil for brushing pan
- 8 slices white sandwich bread
- 20 blades fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and cream and heat through, about 10 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the sherry, paprika and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler. Season the scallops, shrimp and crab with salt and pepper. Season the crab with the Old Bay. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over high heat. Add the scallops and cook, turning once, until browned on each side, 4 to 6 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Add the crab for the last 3 minutes of cooking and heat through. Return the scallops to the pan, pour the sauce evenly over the seafood and remove from the heat.
- Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the broiler on each side, then spread with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Halve each piece of toast to make triangles. Place 4 toast triangles on each of 4 dinner plates, spoon the seafood Newburg on top and sprinkle with the chives and almonds.