The holy trinity: dried oregano, paprika, and garlic salt

What's holier than dried herbs? Yes, fresh herbs get all the attention with of-the-moment green tendencies, but their dried, practical counterparts must not be forgotten. Dried herbs actually pack in more flavor than fresh. Often, I'll combine dried herbs for the base to a dish while it cooks, and simply save the fresh stuff for garnish to make things pop and to echo the modestly lurking seasonings of my go-to holy trinity: oregano, paprika, and garlic salt.

Short on time after excessive wandering within the irresistible confines of Chelsea Market's Lobster Place, I came away with some gorgeous lookin' goods from the sea: calamari and scallops, tentacles included. I whisked them home, trying not to make enemies on the 4 train, gave them a quick douse in a trinity-based marinate, and seared them at super high heat. The oregano adds earthiness, the paprika lends some mild spice and brings out a nice, festive color while the fish sears, and the garlic salt packs plenty of flavor in little time. Adding in fresh lemon juice brightens up the dish and reawakens the dried herbs. My starch of choice to round off the plate? Red quinoa with shallots and parsley.

Serves 2
1 pound calamari, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 pound sea scallops
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
generous sprinkling of salt and freshly-ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley

- Rinse and pat dry the fish. Set aside while making marinade.
- In a medium-sized bowl or ziplock bag, mix together all other ingredients. Drop fish in and coat with hands. Let marinate for about 10 minutes. (Marinating the fish longer will cook the fish like ceviche...save that for Latin night!)
- Set a large saute pan or griddle to high heat. Once heated up, drop the fish onto the pan. You won't have to add in more oil, as the fish are already coated.
- Let sear on each side for 2 minutes. Careful not to overcook - the scallops, especially, can become rubbery.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and some more squeezed lemon, if desired.

A word on quinoa:
You know that game in women's fashion magazines: "What's in/What's out"? It seems like restaurants are playing the same mind games with us these days, swapping in couscous for orzo; barley for wild rice; and next up: quinoa, pronounced "kin-wa."

At first I resisted, but now that you can find so many varieties of quinoa in just about every market, I had to try. And it really is great, and is a great-for-you source of dietary fiber. I like to make a great, big batch and serve as a side that night (like I've done here with Holy Trinity Seafood), and use it as a salad mix-in or as a cold side dish throughout the week.

To pack in more flavor to the quinoa, I start it off by cooking chopped shallots in a small saucepan and then add in the quinoa, similar to the method of making a risotto. That way, once I add in the water (check out the package's instructions, or just add 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water), there is already seasoning in the pot which will penetrate the seeds as the quinoa cooks and absorbs the liquid.