The Other Scallop Chowder

Manhattan clam chowder, made with scallops (because I had a bag of frozen bay scallops) instead of clams. I've never been much of a red chowder fan, but it's not as bad for you as New England chowder, and I had a bunch of vegetables I needed to use up. I started with a bottle of clam juice, added about half a bottle of water. Diced up 1 carrot, 2 stalks celery, half a large red bell pepper and a large scallion, added that to the pot and simmered it all for 10 minutes, to soften the vegetables. Then I added 1 diced potato, half a 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes that I had chopped up (with some of the puree in the can), thyme, salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Simmered that until the potatoes were tender, then added scallops and simmered until they were cooked through. Easy, and pretty tasty, too, with a distinct seafood taste.

Yes, the bread got a little too broiled, but only on one edge. And I like that burned taste as long as it's not too much of it.