Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      pound         scallops
   1                    salt
   1                    pepper -- white
   2      tablespoons   olive oil
                        *relish*
   1                    lemon grass stalk
     1/2  cup           rice vinegar
     1/4  cup           sugar
     1/2  teaspoon      red pepper flakes
   2                    cucumber -- med
   1                    banana pepper -- devein/minced
   1                    serrano -- red, deveined/mince
   2      teaspoons     cilantro -- minced
   2      teaspoons     basil -- fresh, minced
   2      teaspoons     mint -- fresh, minced
     1/3  cup           lime juice
   1                    salt
   1                    pepper -- white

Preparation:

Slice lemon grass stalk thinly crosswise. Peel and halve cucumbers lengthwise, then seed and slice thin crosswise. Relish: Bring lemon grass, vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes and 1/2 cup water to boil in a saucepan; simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain mixture into a bowl and cool slightly; discard solids. Stir in all other sauce ingredients. Sprinkle scallops with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Heat one tablespoon oil in a wok or non-stick skillet. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, and adding remaining oil as needed, sauté scallops, turning once, until seared. Spoon a portion of relish onto each plate. Arrange a portion of scallops over the relish and serve immediately. COOK's Magazin