With so many excellent textures and flavors in this soup-like dish, it's hearty enough to be served as an entrée and it goes well as an accompaniment to pork or served with warm tortillas. Slideshow: More Great Southwestern/Tex-Mex Recipes
How to Make It
In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and shallots to the pan, stirring until translucent and glossy. Add the hominy and red bell pepper, and toss to coat in oil. Season with a couple pinches of salt and add the chicken stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until hominy has become tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice, and add sliced cabbage to slightly wilt down. Adjust for seasonings if necessary. Keep warm and set aside.
In a medium sauté pan over high heat, heat the oil in the pan. Season the scallops with kosher salt and sear for about 3 minutes on the first side, flip, and sear another minute more on the second side. Remove the scallops from the pan and reserve warm on the side. Discard the scallops cooking oil and drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil. When the oil is hot, toss in the Padron peppers and season with salt. Cook until the skin of the peppers blisters and chars, about 3 minutes.
Spoon a scoop of the hominy mixture and broth into the bottom of each serving bowl, add a few scallops, and top with 3-4 Padron peppers. To serve, season with flaky sea salt, minced chives and a squeeze of lemon juice.