Scallops [Merged Topic]

[bigbear]

..... I had never had live scallops before this and it was really a fantastic simple meal.

Simple can be the best and usually is IMHO. Welcome.

[s'kat]

My husband has just managed to procure fresh-from-the-ocean-this-morning scallops.

However, I've never cooked scallops at home before, only ordered them in restaurants. How should I prepare these little darlings?

[markf424]

Depending on the weather outside, I'd personally either pan-sear them (colder weather) or grill them on skewers outside (warm weather). I'm not completely into the braised variety, though braising them in tomato sauce is a common way for the Italian side of my family to cook them.

A very simple and short marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, and a tiny pinch of crushed red pepper flakes dresses them well. Be sure not to overcook them or they won't remain deliciously tender in the center!

Enjoy them - how lucky you are to have them fresh from the ocean. The ones I get are almost always previously frozen or a couple of days from the sea.

[pattimw]

Ah, scallops. Those beautiful little orbs sweet from the sea.

Scallops taste GREAT with bacon - I think it is the combination of the sweetness of the scallops and the saltiness of the bacon.

Also, a simple saute is great -sear them with a little unsalted butter, remove from pan, add garlic, deglaze with white wine, throw in some herbs (thyme, or marjoram?).

I just made a great recipe of scallops with pancetta and peas. I have it at home, if you are interested, I can post it.

[babka]

I love this recipe

Sauteed Scallops with Rosemary and Lemon

[s'kat]

markf, we're seeing a warming cycle here in Virginia, so grilling is a possibility. And yes, I am a very, very lucky girl!

pattimw- I just happen to have some lonely little slices of pancetta in the fridge, so would love to have a peek at the recipe!

Thanks, babka.... if my pancetta has faded, this sounds most appetizing. You just can't go wrong with Ms Hazan.

[PoorLawyer]

whatever you do, make sure to only sear them a couple minutes each side. There is nothing worse than ordering up some scallops and having them overcooked and thinking I just paid 25 bucks for this and I could make it better at home. I suggest something real simple like a sear in butter (or bacon fat), then maybe some lemon juice and parsley for a quick pan sauce

[agnolottigirl]

If these ingredients look good at the market, this salad is tasty and springy. . . nice interplay of flavors and textures, imo:

mixed greens (arugula is good too--if you like it)

blood orange sections (or regular oranges)

avocado

chunky sea salt

balsamic vinegar

(You can add some light oil if you want, though if your avocados are good and ripe, you may not need it.)

Very lightly dredge the scallops and pan sear as others have described. Arrange them on top of your salad. Mmmm.

[Steve Martin]

Time to drag up something I posted on RFC years ago.

I assume they came from the sea in their shells

I think it is best to pan fry them.

Trim the membrane and hard bit off and use in fish stock. The

pink coral can be used to make a sauce/stock or fried and served

with the scallops.

They should fry for a little longer than the white flesh

(noisettes)

Get a non-stick frying pan very hot and use a little

butter (clarified would be good). Fry the scallops until

browned (caramelised) on the first side. Need no more than a

minute, depending on size. Turn over for 5 seconds and serve

brown uppermost.

Nico Ladenis uses a similar treatment, but slices the scallops

to increase the caramelised area.

The pink coral could be treated to a slower frying in butter in

a separate pan, to be ready at the same time.

It all sits well on a little lemony mashed potato and dotted

with fresh pesto.

Try grilling the pancetta with a flat weight on it, so it comes out perfectly flat.

BTW. Really fresh scallops are also nice sliced raw. You can dress with lemon juice and serve on a warm plate, to cook slightly.

[s'kat]

Nice... I hadn't even considered using them as cerviche.

[johnnyd]

My favorite Ceviche dressing for our local scallops has juice from limes and/or Meyer lemon, minced garlic, ripped cilantro and a few pepper flakes. I usually don't touch 'em until the next day.

[markf424]

My favorite Ceviche dressing for our local scallops has juice from limes and/or Meyer lemon, minced garlic, ripped cilantro and a few pepper flakes. I usually don't touch 'em until the next day.

How do you hold off with that combination? I almost ate your post.

[s'kat]

Well, after all of that, it seems that the scallop boat didn't come in last night. Luckily, the crab boat did, so we had to suffice with freshly picked lump. Crab cakes rock.

We're going to be in a touch with our new connection for a bit, so I'm sure scallopos are somewhere in the near future.

[markf424]

You're killing me! Even after living in Austin for 9 years, I still miss the fresh seafood we'd get on the East Coast. Ah well, at least I have the memories...

[Ling]

If they're so fresh, I would eat them raw (just diced with some Japanese mayo). Add some tobiko for an additional briny crunch.

[Sleepy_Dragon]

So what's the reason for only eating the adductor muscle of a scallop? Does the rest of the animal just taste so bad not even the most creative cook could do anything with it?

Pat

[johnnyd]

In Europe the roe sac is prized but in the USA, the scallop boats have to shuck all animals and return everything but the abducter to the sea before reaching port. Failure to do so results in a fine. If you ever get an item called "Scallop in Shell" on the menu, you can bet the abducter and the shell are not family.

[s'kat]

Well, the scallop boat finally came in for us. Last night, my husband walked in the door with a 5 pound bag of the little beauties:

We wasted no time in whipping up dinner. A quick sear in the pan on the stove. They were removed, and my husband added chopped pancetta (for some reason, he chose not cook it fully, but it still flavoured the sauce nicely), garlic, a tidge more oil, white wine, and thyme.

Heavenly:

Thanks for your input. And just so you know, it seems that we may be getting flounder next week.

[markf424]

Sounds like a deal to me. He brought home the scallops and fried them up in the pan! They look wonderfully tasty.

[jsolomon]

We wasted no time in whipping up dinner. A quick sear in the pan on the stove. They were removed, and my husband added chopped pancetta (for some reason, he chose not cook it fully, but it still flavoured the sauce nicely), garlic, a tidge more oil, white wine, and thyme.

Heavenly:

Thanks... I licked my monitor and got such a shock on the tongue!

Very beautiful supper. Are you accepting drop-ins?

[s'kat]

Very beautiful supper. Are you accepting drop-ins?

Actually, you're not going to believe this, but my husband didn't even eat his portion.

He doesn't really like scallops... something about the texture, he claims, isn't quite right. But he is always willing to occasionally re-try a disliked food, just to see if his tastebuds have come around yet.

Alas, last night, they still hadn't. But it was so lovely of him to make the effort to get these, and cook them up, on top of it.

[jsolomon]

Actually, you're not going to believe this, but my husband didn't even eat his portion.

My girlfriend is much the same way. Although, she always drew the line at chicken on pizza. Not liking that is just plain weird. So, she's weird.

But, she's usually game to try foods and retry foods occasionally. She still doesn't like scallops, as well.

[thursdaynext]

Not like scallops!! I was drooling after seeing the photos! s'kat I ENVY you your dinner!

[johnnyd]

a 5 pound bag of the little beauties

By the sounds of it, you have at least three pounds in the freezer? Don't be afraid to freeze them, they keep really well.

... or perhaps, you wouldn't mind any of us dropping by and relieving you of those bothersome scallops taking up all that space in your fridge????

[s'kat]

... or perhaps, you wouldn't mind any of us dropping by and relieving you of those bothersome scallops taking up all that space in your fridge????

My in-laws have already volunteered to take a pound or so off of our hands. Very sweet of them.