Sea Scallop Tips

I picked up some sea scallops today at Whole Foods and put them on the grill--they were delicious and made a great quick, healthy meal (along with some grilled veggies). Now I'd like to branch out a little. Anyone have any good recipe ideas for scallops? I'd also love some tips on how to get a great sear on these. I feel like when I make them at home, it's hard to strike a balance between nice crust and internal doneness. I feel like I have had some great scallop dishes at restaurants but can't remember exactly what was in them when I start cooking at home. Any ideas?

Well, if no one else comes up with advice, I have been inspired by this episode of Good Eats. The seared scallops are at the end of part 1 and beginning of part 2, and the other scallop recipes are all on part 2. Part 1 is mostly story set-up and advice on buying and storing scallops.

Haven't tried it yet, but AB has offered much advice I've found reliable, so this is on my list of things to try this summer.

Part 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvpPSGuF8ts

Part 2 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J7ntMa6 ... re=related

Haven't checked the links, but I'm sure the advice is fine. The key to seared scallops is to use a very hot pan, and to realize that they're probably done 30 seconds before you think they are. Also, they must be completely dry before you try to sear them. Pat them well with a paper towel.

By the way, of all the places I've tried in the city, Whole Foods has consistently provided the best scallops.

The key to seared scallops is to use top quality dry pack scallops, preferably 'Day Boat' or in the shell. Most scallops sold are 'wet' pack i.e they have been treated with preservative supposedly to keep them fresh but in fact the preservative in a water solution adds water to the scallops. Wet pack are impossible to get a nice crust on. Many places now sell 'dry' pack at a premium price today. The best are 'day boat' where the boat goes out and comes back the same day. Browne Trading of Maine specilizes in 'Day boat' and indeed Rod Browne fostered this method. Then its a simple matter to sear, just heat a pan with unsalted butter and in go your scallops, no drying is needed. Browne Trading Day Boat can be eaten as sashimi, they are so fresh.
In the shell are sometimes available and if fresh can be very good but Maine Regulations require shucking at sea.-Dick

budrichard wrote:The key to seared scallops is to use top quality dry pack scallops, preferably 'Day Boat' or in the shell. Most scallops sold are 'wet' pack i.e they have been treated with preservative supposedly to keep them fresh but in fact the preservative in a water solution adds water to the scallops. Wet pack are impossible to get a nice crust on. Many places now sell 'dry' pack at a premium price today. The best are 'day boat' where the boat goes out and comes back the same day. Browne Trading of Maine specilizes in 'Day boat' and indeed Rod Browne fostered this method. Then its a simple matter to sear, just heat a pan with unsalted butter and in go your scallops, no drying is needed. Browne Trading Day Boat can be eaten as sashimi, they are so fresh.
In the shell are sometimes available and if fresh can be very good but Maine Regulations require shucking at sea.-Dick

Dick, is there a particular place in Chicago where you like to buy dry pack scallops?

Dry packed scallops were on sale at Whole Foods yesterday. Not sure if they still on sale, but they were $11.99/lb

I think the sale ended Sunday. Thanks for all the tips!

Wet pack scallops are typically $10-11/lb at Isaacson and Stein on Fulton Mkt. in the West Loop. You pick them yourself, and there are usually plenty of nice big ones. If you dry them out well on paper towels before cooking, its easy to get a nice golden sear, and they are thick enough that they are still rare in the middle, which is how I like them. We just sear them in a stainless steel skillet with a little olive oil. Very simple, and certainly not the greatest I've ever had, but they are a solid B+/A-. They are sweet and fresh, not at all briney.

Darren72 wrote:

budrichard wrote:The key to seared scallops is to use top quality dry pack scallops, preferably 'Day Boat' or in the shell. Most scallops sold are 'wet' pack i.e they have been treated with preservative supposedly to keep them fresh but in fact the preservative in a water solution adds water to the scallops. Wet pack are impossible to get a nice crust on. Many places now sell 'dry' pack at a premium price today. The best are 'day boat' where the boat goes out and comes back the same day. Browne Trading of Maine specilizes in 'Day boat' and indeed Rod Browne fostered this method. Then its a simple matter to sear, just heat a pan with unsalted butter and in go your scallops, no drying is needed. Browne Trading Day Boat can be eaten as sashimi, they are so fresh.
In the shell are sometimes available and if fresh can be very good but Maine Regulations require shucking at sea.-Dick

Dick, is there a particular place in Chicago where you like to buy dry pack scallops?

I wish I could help you but there is nowhere in Chicago I have found 'dry pack' that looked good enough to purchase and I look ALL the time. Other than Browne Trading, Grash's in Milwaukee is very knowledgable about fresh fish and scallops. None of thier fish is adulterated with chemicals and they usually have very good 'dry pack' and in season some 'Sea of Cortez' dry pack that are quite good. My last in the shell came from Grash's at $12.99 per! I know this doesn't help if you live in chicago but that's where it stands.
If you like scallops soaked chemicals then you can shop at Walmart where the chicken and the beef is adulterated with chemicals. Me, I don't eat meat or fish soaked in chemical preservatives.-Dick

This will seem an ignorant question to some but - what can I say? I'm largely ignorant about scallops. It seems y'all have been talking so far about fresh scallops. What about frozen? How does their quality compared to dry-packed fresh and wet-packed (chemically plumped) fresh?

Never touch frozen scallops and the same for most fish unless I freeze it myself. Quality of seafood is hard to detemine when frozen and some has been thawed and frozen again for sale.-Dick

I've seen dry pack scallops at Treasure Island, for what it's worth. I didn't know the difference at the time but thanks to this thread I now do.

I've seen beautiful dry packed scallops, U-5 in size, at The Fish Guy on Elston. Bill Dugan sells these same scallops to some of Chicago's top restaurants through his Superior Ocean Products wholesale business.

Made another batch of scallps (dry packed from Whole Foods). I took Kenny's advice and achieved a pretty nice sear on these, then topped them off with some red curry sauce. I stir-fried some green beans as an accompaniment. The red curry took about 10 minutes to make (canned coconut milk and curry paste with some fish sauce, palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves, green cardamom, lime juice and zest) and the total cooking time on the scallops was about 4 minutes making this a great weeknight supper. Should have thrown some rice in the rice cooker though.

HI,

I agree that dry pack scallops provide the best flavor with least loss of moisture.

When you cook scallops, you do want to develop a nice sear for looks, but you do not have to worry too much about internal temperature. Scallops do not need cooking to become tender. Therefore, I usually concentrate on searing the top, good looking side of the scallop.

Dry the scallops between towels allowing them to come to room temperature.
Carefully score shallow cuts on the top side of the scallop; I use a trapezoidal tic-tac-toe pattern.
Bring a heavy skillet up to temperature with your preferred fat, maybe grape seed oil and clarified butter.
Season the scallops with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper.
When the fats are at the smoking point, place the scallops top down in the pan. They should be will separated.
Sear for 2 minutes; check for the appropriate color.
Lower heat to medium and cook for 1 minute on the second side.

If you do not have dry pack scallops, there is a method to prepare your scallops for searing. Soak the scallops in 1 quart cold water with 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons sea salt for 30 minutes, before drying and scoring the scallops. Also, omit the salt in seasoning before cooking.

Good luck,

Tim

Dry Pack Scallops do not require drying, period.
I just picked a few pounds at Grash's in Milwaukee for $14.99/# through Grash's on-line order system which you can get on if you register. A very good scallop, seared well and was sweet but still not up to Browne Trading quality.-Dick

There's something magical about the combination of scallops and pancetta. The sweet scallop flesh and the salty pancetta make both taste even better. Chestnuts further enhance the sweetness and add an earthy element, and orange dust* adds some great perfume and color, along with a touch of balancing bitterness.


Seared scallops with chestnut cream, crispy pancetta, and orange dust:



*orange peel zested with a microplane and dried in a very low oven for 3 hours. Crushed with fingertips and sprinkled before serving.

Very nice looking scallops!
I probably forgot to add, but when I cook scallops. the interior of a fresh scallop is very rare when done, some might think raw. Indeed as I said Browne Trading Day boat can be consumed raw which is how a good Japanese sushi bar would serve them. Any over cooking of a scallop results in a 'hockey puck'. There is absolutely no comparison between fresh Day Boat and Wet Pack. They are simply two very different things.-Dick

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