My favorite seafood is probably 'dry' sea scallops. I love to sauté scallops in butter, or bread them to pan fry or poach and serve in a velouté style sauce similar to Coquille St Jacque. I love to prepare a delicious scallop mousseline forcemeat... and even paella!
Try the plancha recipe-it's delicious and a little heart healthier without the butter sauce.
Sautéed Sea Scallops
I love Scallops! I find it challenging to get delicious, tender scallops at restaurants or grocery stores since so often the scallops are soaked in phosphates, nitrates etc... to retain moisture. These scallops let out a lot of moisture so it's very hard to get nice caramelization and flavor.
I only use the natural scallops, called 'dry scallops' or 'diver scallops'. These are expensive but absolutely delicious.
Scallops can be purchased in a variety of sizes; fresh or frozen and of different qualities and in different price ranges.
I prefer fresh scallops and cooking scallops very gently with mild seasoning so the natural sweetness is not overpowered.
Sautéed Sea Scallops
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
3 oz. Butter, room temperature
12 ea. Sea Scallops
3 cloves AP Flour, sifted
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
t.t. Black pepper
1 ea Lemon, quartered
3 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
Seared Sea Scallops on la Plancha
Prep Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 10 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
2 oz. Olive Oil
12 ea. Sea Scallops
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
t.t. Black pepper
1 Tbsp. Thyme (fresh), picked
3 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
1 ea Lemon, quartered
How to Prepare Sautéed Sea Scallops
Step 1
Clean the scallops by paring the connector muscle (if there is one); pat dry.
Season with salt and pepper.
Dredge the sifted flour lightly and pat the excess flour from the scallops.
Step 2
Melt the butter and when it begins to lightly brown, add 5 or 6 scallops, browning on the bottom. (medium temperature.)
Jiggle the pan lightly so the scallops brown evenly.
As the scallops brown, invery them carefully with tongs and brown on the other side. You can peek if you're not able to tell when to flip.
Step 3
When all of the scallops are browned, place onto a platter. Squeeze the lemons into the sauce, add the chopped parsley and pour the butter sauce over the scallops.
Enjoy immediately.
Plancha is a popular cooking method that originated in Spain. It is a metal flat top or grill pan used so sear meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables etc... providing a deep, flavorful sear on the outside. There are many planchas available on the market for home cooking.
How to Sear Scallops on the Plancha
Step 1
Heat the plancha on the stove top.
Clean the scallops by paring the connector muscle (if there is one); pat dry.
Season with salt and pepper.
Step 2
Add the olive oil to the plancha, add 5 or 6 scallops, browning on the bottom. (medium temperature.
Do not move the scallops or the pan so the scallops brown evenly.
Cook for 3 minutes, invert them carefully with tongs and brown on the other side. Add the herbs and lemon and serve immediately (in the plancha pan).
I like to add a little hot sauce!
