Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Scallops Are Divine.

I'm doing scallops for lunch today.
They're light, citrusy, delicious, and wonderful.

I rinse my scallops,
then pat them totally dry with paper towels.

Please don't make me go into the wet/dry dilemma.


Do I need to go into the dry vs wet scallop issue again?

Scallops are extremely perishable
and cannot hold themselves tightly closed once caught.
For this reason, scallops are usually killed right after harvesting.
Some are immediately frozen
and some might be brought back quickly to shore
and sold as "day boat" scallops -
some of the freshest you can get.
These are "dry" scallops.

Because of their perishability and the high costs
of taking a boat out for just a day,
some fisherman treat their scallops with STP,
or sodium tripolyphosphate.
This keeps the scallop from drying out.
The scallop absorbs a lot of excess moisture,
sometimes up to 50% of their weight,
artificially inflating the price.
These are "wet" scallops.
And you'll never get a wet scallop to sear properly.
Since they have so much water in them,
they'll steam and overcook long before they'll caramelize.

You inland people,
if you want a proper scallop,
look for dry, never wet-pack.
I never salt my scallops.
They don't need salt.
They've been in the ocean.

But I do give them a few grinds of pepper
and a bit of lemon zest.

And whenever I can,
I give them fresh, green coriander seeds -
the seeds of the cilantro plant.

Along with the cilantro leaves.

Heat butter and oil over medium high heat.
Add in scallops.

Depending on the heat, maybe 60-90 seconds first side.

Turn over.
Cook 30 seconds.
Add in some lemon juice.

Add in a little sherry or white wine.
Deglaze the pan.
Scrape up the goody bits.


And serve.

With cilantro leaves, flowers, and seeds.

It's a trifecta of perfection.

Another "Trust Rosie" moment.

No comments: