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Seared Scallops


markk

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I'm trying to learn how to cook scallops without deep frying them or baking them in a cream sauce. When I sear them (and I only use the "no water added" variety), I find that once I serve them, most of the very delicious scallop flavor is in a small puddle of juice on the plate.

When I cook a steak or a beef roast, I've learned how to sear it and cook it through, then let it rest thoroughly somewhere warm so that not one drop of juice leaks out into that famous - but I can't apply what I've learned to scallops!

Any thoughts, hints, cooking suggestions? My goal is a scallop that doesn't have the extra calories of deep-fried or cream-baked. Thanks.

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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Try searing large sea scallops in a hot skillet then transferring them to a cake rack set over a pan to finish cooking in a slow oven. You can make a sauce with the pan scrapings.

“C’est dans les vieux pots, qu’on fait la bonne soupe!”, or ‘it is in old pots that good soup is made’.

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I've seen a technique mentioned for fried green tomatoes that might be beneficial for seared scallops - cutious to know if anyone else here has tried this.

After the initial dredging of flour (assuming the scallps are in fact being dredged in flour), they are place in the freezer for five minutes or so. They are then redredged or dusted with flour again immediately before searing.

I'm clueless as to what the chemistry is or whether there's a good rationale. In theory, the cold is supposed to help absorb the initial layer of flour and allows the second one to stick more easily but not absorb moisture from the item to be cooked. I did try this once - it seemed to help but I had too many scallops in hte saute pan relative to the amount of available surface area. They browned but not as nicely as I thought they should.

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Are you saying that when you cut them on the plate the juice runs out, or does the juice run out without them being cut?

How hot of a pan are you using? How long are you cooking them for?

Dan

My pan is blisteringly (or screechingly) hot, as they say, and I'm cooking them for just long enough that I get a nice golden color on the outside and until they look cooked through. But as I play back last night's meal in my mind, I realize that I didn't serve them onto hot places, and am wondering if that would have done it. They ran before they were cut.

Still, I'd like all the advice and suggestions that people can share on cooking scallops other than deep frying them.

Edited by markk (log)

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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I'm wondering if you are using defrosted scallops.

For large sea scallops, this is the way I would do it:wash and dry the scallops; remove the tough muscle; and keep chilled.

About twenty minutes before serving, preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

About ten minutes before serving, set a large skillet over medium high heat and when hot, add enough oil to coat the bottom and heat. Season the scallops and brown, about l minute to a side. Be sure to leave room between the scallops to avoid steaming them.

Set on a cake rack in a shallow pan, arrange the scallops about 1/2 inch apart and finish their cooking in the oven.

Meanwhile, throw out the oil and finish making a pan sauce with the brown scrapings.

“C’est dans les vieux pots, qu’on fait la bonne soupe!”, or ‘it is in old pots that good soup is made’.

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I'm wondering if you are using defrosted scallops.

No, I'm using never-frozen, no-water-added scallops.

I'm getting the pan really really hot, and I'm getting a great sear, and in retrospect, I wonder if, had I heated the plate I transferred them to, I would have solved the "running" problem.

Is there a reason that I have to finish them in the oven as opposed to letting them cook through after I turn them on the skillet?

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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Unfortunately, government has come to the aid of big business and this could be affecting your scallops. How you ask? Even "dry packed" no "water-added" scallops can still contain up to 25% of their weight in liquid preservative. I don't know why the government allows it, but this is what could be the problem for your searing. They still get a nice color, but then they exude the evil brine as the come out of the pan and rest. Supposedly, a "natural" packed scallops does not contain anything. The only way to really know is to be extremely interogative (sp?) and about asking your fish monger. They are out there, finding them is not always easy.

On the other hand it could be something totally scientific, in which case I am a total idiot and you should ignore my post. :blink:

Patrick Sheerin

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Is there a reason that I have to finish them in the oven as opposed to letting them cook through after I turn them on the skillet?

Yes, it allows the outside of the scallops to dry just enough to hold in all the juices. AT the same time cooking at a low temperature not only allows the scallops to remain very juicy but extremely tender. I think this two step method is worth trying.

Edited by Wolfert (log)

“C’est dans les vieux pots, qu’on fait la bonne soupe!”, or ‘it is in old pots that good soup is made’.

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Ask your fishmonger for scallops from dayboaters. Most good mongers know who and where their wares come from.

When scallops are obtained from boats that stay at sea for a few days at a time, they are washed in a preservative which makes the scallop absorb water. This makes it look fresh and appetizing, but doesn't produce a good sear. You can have the hottest cast iron, but it will still steam.

Aidan

"Ess! Ess! It's a mitzvah!"

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Sounds to me that the problem is not the cooking but possibly the scallops themselves.

I get diver's scallops from David, my local fishmonger. He scuba dives to the seabed off the coast at Budleigh Salterton, Devon, no more than 15 metres deep, and gathers these beauts by hand. At the moment, they are not that big: once removed from the shell just smaller than a 50 pence piece, with their bright orange roe still attached, maybe a couple of fingers thick. To be honest, I'm not a great fan of the roe, pretty though it is. What I usually do is remove the roe, trim off the tough bit of muscle, and slice each scallop in half horizontally.

Then heat up some unsalted butter in a heavy non-stick frying pan. When sizzling, add the scallops one at a time, going around the pan clockwise. When I get to those that were added first, it's usually time to flip them (no more than a minute a side - the pan must be hot so that the surface becomes browned and caramelised). When I've flipped them all, it's usually time to take them out. Then a squeeze of lime into the pan, perhaps a slosh of dry Pinot Grigio, maybe a nugget of sweet butter swirled around, reduce to a syrup. Plate the scallops, and dribble over the sauce. What could be simpler? What could be better?

Certainly with scallops this fresh, the cooking time is measured in seconds and the merest minutes and there is no need to cook in the oven.

Marc

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Is there a reason that I have to finish them in the oven as opposed to letting them cook through after I turn them on the skillet?

Yes, it allows the outside of the scallops to dry just enough to hold in all the juices. AT the same time cooking at a low temperature not only allows the scallops to remain very juicy but extremely tender. I think this two step method is worth trying.

THANK YOU! I will certainly try this and let you know.

Overheard at the Zabar’s prepared food counter in the 1970’s:

Woman (noticing a large bowl of cut fruit): “How much is the fruit salad?”

Counterman: “Three-ninety-eight a pound.”

Woman (incredulous, and loud): “THREE-NINETY EIGHT A POUND ????”

Counterman: “Who’s going to sit and cut fruit all day, lady… YOU?”

Newly updated: my online food photo extravaganza; cook-in/eat-out and photos from the 70's

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slow cooking at a low temperature does take longer to execute, but the results are exceptional.

At 250 or 275, the scallops are more or less "on hold" as they slowly finish cooking. BTW, I was referring to really large diver or day boat scallops and a total of 2 minutes wouldn't be enough to cook them through.

Edited by Wolfert (log)

“C’est dans les vieux pots, qu’on fait la bonne soupe!”, or ‘it is in old pots that good soup is made’.

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I've had this exact same problem-- after setting the seared scallops aside, they leak a puddle of tasty juice (never-frozen, no-water-added, dry pack scallops). They look and taste great, but I'm still troubled by the juice loss. Will try the low oven finish method.

I'm curious about something, though. In several seared scallop recipes I've seen it says to reserve the scallops in a warm bowl after you've seared them and while you're making the sauce. What's the reason for specifying a bowl (instead of a plate or rack)-- is the idea to get the scallops to reabsorb the juices they're exuding (since the bowl will cluster them all in the puddle of juice?).

Chris Sadler

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I have sometimes seared scallops (obtained from very reliable sources) till they were perfectly cooked, but tasted bitter. Does anyone know what might cause that?

Stop Family Violence

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I've had this exact same problem-- after setting the seared scallops aside, they leak a puddle of tasty juice (never-frozen, no-water-added, dry pack scallops). They look and taste great, but I'm still troubled by the juice loss. Will try the low oven finish method.

What's all this worrying about "juice loss"? If your scallop is moist and tasty why should you worry about a little juice on the plate? Searing is NOT sealing (see McGee et al) and anything you cook in this high temperature fashion will leak a little if left to rest, even steaks.

As others have said if your scallops are the correct size then a minute or less per side is ideal, and this also works for frozen, thawed and dried scallops, not just "fresh out of the sea" one. If your scallops are too big for this then you should either consider cutting them or using a different cooking method.

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We've had good results doing scallops this way:

Mince up about an inch or so of ginger, melt a big knob of unsalted butter in a large non-stick skillet, and add the ginger and scallops at the same time. Depending on the size of your scallops (we usually do pretty big ones), cook them for about 2 minutes per side. The ginger, butter, and scallop juices will combine to make a beautiful caramel-colored glaze, and the flavor is something much greater than the simplicity of the ingredients would imply.

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  • 2 weeks later...

What's all this worrying about "juice loss"? If your scallop is moist and tasty why should you worry about a little juice on the plate? Searing is NOT sealing (see McGee et al) and anything you cook in this high temperature fashion will leak a little if left to rest, even steaks.

As others have said if your scallops are the correct size then a minute or less per side is ideal, and this also works for frozen, thawed and dried scallops, not just "fresh out of the sea" one. If your scallops are too big for this then you should either consider cutting them or using a different cooking method.

When you let scallops rest after sauteeing (and in this case I let them rest in a slow oven on a rack) they turn out fabulously succulent. You just don't get this incredible texture with the ordinary quick searing method.

Edited by Wolfert (log)

“C’est dans les vieux pots, qu’on fait la bonne soupe!”, or ‘it is in old pots that good soup is made’.

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We've had good results doing scallops this way:

Mince up about an inch or so of ginger, melt a big knob of unsalted butter in a large non-stick skillet, and add the ginger and scallops at the same time. Depending on the size of your scallops (we usually do pretty big ones), cook them for about 2 minutes per side. The ginger, butter, and scallop juices will combine to make a beautiful caramel-colored glaze, and the flavor is something much greater than the simplicity of the ingredients would imply.

what do you normally do with the glaze? De-glaze with mirin?

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David our fisherman friend came around last evening. I knew he was going diving (in between looking after the twins) and I'd asked him for about 20 scallops. He hadn't yet had time to clean them - frankly it's not that difficult job to take them out of their shells, but it takes me at least four times as long as it takes him. So he was happy to do it then and there in our kitchen: hold the large shell flat-side up in his palm, insert a butter knife into the corner and wriggle it almost vertically to cut the muscle where it attaches to the shell; open it up, chuck away the curved shell; scrape off and discard the frilly skirt; slice off the scallop; pinch out the black stuff where the pinky-orange roe attaches to the milky white flesh; finally trim off the tough bit of meat that there always is the side where it was attached to the shell. We sucked down a couple of cold bottles of beer and I watched as he worked, incredibly quickly. The scallops had been on the bottom of the sea bed off of Budleigh Salterton no more than minutes, at most an hour or two, ago, and as David opened them, each living scallop pulsated and quivered. I've had David's scallops on many, many occasions, watched him open them often: but I've never had them so fresh that the white meat was still pulsating.

So, what did we do with these sweet little critters? I had some air-dried ham from our local Dartmouth Smokehouse so I removed the roes and wrapped each scallop in a slice. Then I simply pan-fried them in butter for no more than two, at most three minutes total, and served with fresh organic new season asparagus, the scallops and asparagus both topped with a lime beurre blanc whipped up to a cappuccino-like froth with the Bamix.

The point is, these scallops were so damn fresh that you could easily have enjoyed them raw. When wrapped in the air-dried ham and pan-fried for just a couple of minutes, these big meaty beauties were still just a tad transparent in the centre. That's how I like them and these did not disappoint! They were exceptional sweet, delicate and seafresh - absolutely sensational. I'll try the oven trick another time: I'm sure it is delicious. But when you have shellfish this fresh, you are so eager and excited to eat that few, I imagine, will ever have the patience to wait!

MP

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' Hotategai' or scallop that is absolutely fresh makes the most wonderful sashimi you can imagine! We obtain our day boat scallops from Browne Trading and they are two days removed from the water. If your scallops are truly fresh, then all that is needed is a little Wondra flour, butter , white pepper and salt. Do not overcook but serve them with the center still raw or rare. They will finish cooking on the plate. Do not worry over liquid loss but add lemon and use for a sauce. -Dick

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