619753 Thu May 14 07:14:23 -0700 2009 39 31 Home Cooking 0 4682875 I first fell in love with bay scallops when my mom and some of her friends went scalloping on Long Island Sound in the 80s and the little devils were spitting at me in the kitchen sink. My old school favorite way to eat them is in a casserole dish with butter, sherry and some crumbled Ritz crackers, broiled in the oven just as my mom made them. I haven't had them that way in a long time. It may be time to revive that recipe! My recent love affair is of the fried sea scallops at Maine Fish Market in East Windsor, CT. I don't know what their "special batter" is all about, but it is definitely special and I wish I could replicate it. Of course, I don't have a fryalator, either, but still. It's like a magic formula for best fried scallops ever. I've been sampling fried scallops at other popular local seafood places and no one outdoes Maine Fish. What's the secret?! We like to make a simple dish of seared sea scallops (dusted or not in polenta) in butter, lemon peel and Limoncello and we think we're pretty snazzy when we make them. What are some of your favorite ways to eat/make scallops--bay or sea? Thu May 14 07:14:23 -0700 2009 249664 kattyeyes 1 4682917 My favorite way to eat scallops is OUT -- as in, at a restaurant. Scallops is one of those things I've tried to make, several times, and they've always been disappointing. It seems like it ought to be so simple to sear a scallop, but I've never been able to get that right combination of caramelization on the outside, tender on the inside. I don't know if my problem is the pan I'm using, the scallops (wet? dry?), or something else. Care to share your searing secrets, kattyeyes? Thu May 14 07:29:51 -0700 2009 4682875 49600 CindyJ 2 4683008 HA HA re your first sentence. I have to admit, as much as I love scallops prepared on our humble electric cooktop, I think it may be impossible to get the same sear you would in a restaurant over gas. But I do still like our homestyle version. Pat the scallops dry. Sometimes we use Calphalon--sometimes we use a stainless steel pan--and either way we use a combo of butter and oil. Make sure the pan is sizzling hot before you add the scallops (but you know that part, I'm sure). Depending on size of scallop, about 4-5 minutes per side seems to do the trick. I am probably stating things you already know and do. Maybe others have additional tips that can help further. Thu May 14 07:55:26 -0700 2009 4682917 249664 kattyeyes 3 4686364 10 minutes total is an awfully long time, unless the scallops are baseball sized. i have gas, and use cast-iron. a non-stick pan won't get the crisp you want. pre-heating the pan is key. let it get smoking hot. dry the scallops very well. let them rest between paper towels while the pan heats. add the oil to the pan, and as soon as it shimmers add the scallops, which you have salted on the side that hits the pan. don't move them!! after 2 or 3 minutes, check one for color. if it's where you want, salt and flip them. when that gets to color, remove from the pan and grind fresh pepper over. here's the key: let them rest a few minutes while you're finishing the rest of the meal. this will set the centers and they will continue to cook as well, with their own heat. i like them with lemon confit and asparagus. maybe a little angel hair pasta as a side. i'm lucky to live in an area where the scallops rock, so i don't gussy them up much. Fri May 15 07:52:46 -0700 2009 4683008 30273 hotoynoodle 4 4687339 I totally misspoke--thank you for the correction. No baseballs here. :) It should be more like 4-5 minutes total (not per side), just as you said. I honesty have to pay closer attention the next time we make them. Fri May 15 12:39:36 -0700 2009 4686364 249664 kattyeyes 2 4683067 i haven't found my home-cooked scallop nirvana, yet, either, but they don't turn out too badly when i use bacon grease in a very hot cast iron pan. Thu May 14 08:12:35 -0700 2009 4682917 64215 cimui 3 4683074 Funny you should mention the cast iron pan. I have my grandmother's cast iron skillet and it's the only pan I use for such things as the scallops, fried smelts and trout. Those things seem to taste much better in cast iron! Thu May 14 08:15:39 -0700 2009 4683067 75332 Gio 4 4683091 yes, they do! my grandma's still alive, happily, and holding on tightly to her cast iron wok, but i've been seasoning my cast iron skillet from IKEA pretty religiously for a few years, now. i love how the need for additional seasoning gives me a good excuse to make lots of bacon. ;) Thu May 14 08:20:35 -0700 2009 4683074 64215 cimui 2 4686071 I use a cast iron skillet, I try them off so they are not at all damp and I flour them, salt pepper and dresge in a little flour, shake of excess, then sear in a mixture of butter and oil. I think the key is let the pan get HOT, it takes a while epecially on an electric range. Resist the urge to touch them once you put them down and cook for literally a min on each side for big sea scallops, less ofr bay scallops Fri May 15 06:13:15 -0700 2009 4682917 158016 cassoulady 1 4682966 I'll have to try your polenta, limoncello idea. I use Ina Garten's Scallops Provencal recipe. It's excellent, pan searing scallops with shallots and garlic, of course butter. Just fantastic and easy. BTW, she says in her note, if scallops are really large, cut them horizontally. I never do that, I just take the pan off the burner and cover for an extra minute. Thu May 14 07:43:33 -0700 2009 4682875 15691 mcel215 2 4683041 I'm with you--I've never cut my scallops in half, regardless of size. Doesn't that just seem wrong? Like cutting a filet mignon in half for the same reason? ;) I grew up never having food cooked with shallots and use them all the time now. Isn't it weird if your family never used something, it's just not even on the radar. I'm glad it is now, though! Thu May 14 08:04:24 -0700 2009 4682966 249664 kattyeyes 3 4685825 I grew up and never having food cooked with shallots or garlic for that matter! And I never used to buy fresh parsley, thinking that dried would do just fine. Wow, I am in love with fresh parsley now too. Cutting scallops? OMG, it seems like a sacrilege... lol! Fri May 15 03:03:13 -0700 2009 4683041 15691 mcel215 4 4686104 i'll cut large sea scallops horizontally to do chinese stir-fried scallops. i was taught that technique by a chinese friend. mr. alka prefers the sweeter bay scallops. i love them both. Fri May 15 06:26:17 -0700 2009 4685825 105717 alkapal 1 4683000 I do a Gratin of Scallops, Tomato & Basil Start with a dozen large "diver" scallops or a bout 1.5 lbs of bay scallops a couple large heirloom fresh tomatoes, a handful of fresh basil chiffonade, a pint of cream and about 8 oz of swiss cheese shredded. Fry thick tomato slices in a bit of olive oil. Remove, and in the same pan sear the scallops. Add the cream and basil, return the tomatoes, and simmer until the cream is heated through and infused with the basil. Plate in bowls with some croutons if you like, and top with the shredded cheese to melt. Or you can plate in a wide casserole dish, add the cheese and serve family style. Thu May 14 07:52:09 -0700 2009 4682875 225234 KiltedCook 2 4683047 Kilted, that sounds absolutely heavenly!! I see you use no salt or pepper. I know the cheese may add some flavor and the scallops themselves have their own special flavor.... but I'd be tempted to "taste and adjust for seasoning." Mother was allergic to scallops so we didn't eat them at home or restaurant. I didn't have my first taste until two years after she died. With great trepidation I bought 4, brought them home, and pan seared them as mcel215 described upthread. Oh my goodness, what a treat that was. Scallops are one of my favorite seafoods. Thu May 14 08:06:06 -0700 2009 4683000 75332 Gio 3 4685915 As a Personal Chef I almost never cook with salt and pepper (unless absolutely necessary to the dish like Kahlua Pork), as there's enough in most of the things we cook and eat. I leave that up to the discretion of the eater. I almost never put "salt & pepper to taste" in a recipe either. I figure if you're not smart enough to adjust adjust seasonings on your own, you probably wouldn't be able to taste the difference anyway! Fri May 15 04:40:11 -0700 2009 4683047 225234 KiltedCook 4 4686058 as a consumer, i would probably find your food underseasoned, and would be unlikely to hire you twice.... adding salt after is not the same, flavorwise, as cooking with it. Fri May 15 06:06:37 -0700 2009 4685915 135229 thew 5 4686475 Agreed, Thew.... seasoning as you go brings out the flavor of each ingredient and makes for a delicious dish. Fri May 15 08:24:05 -0700 2009 4686058 75332 Gio 6 4686547 Never said I didn't SEASON a dish correctly. Simply said I don't cook with unnecessary salt and black pepper. Too many modern recipes call for 'way too much salt. In nearly a decade of personal cheffing I've never had a client comment that the food I prepared was underseasoned. Some 500+ clients can't all be wrong. Fri May 15 08:42:01 -0700 2009 4686475 225234 KiltedCook 7 4686567 >"As a Personal Chef I almost never cook with salt and pepper (unless absolutely necessary to the dish like Kahlua Pork), as there's enough in most of the things we cook and eat. I leave that up to the discretion of the eater."> Ahhhh..... I see. Evidently I misinterpreted what you typed above. Fri May 15 08:46:47 -0700 2009 4686547 75332 Gio 7 4687057 while i dispute the last statement (reminds me of the old poster from the early 70's - eat sh*t - 50 billion flies can't be wrong) this seem a very different statement than the initial one i responded to. "Seasoning properly" is not the same as "almost never cooking with salt & pepper" Fri May 15 11:19:36 -0700 2009 4686547 135229 thew 2 4690201 Sounds good, but why do you call it a gratin when the topping isn't browned and it doesn't see the inside of an oven or broiler? Sat May 16 17:00:26 -0700 2009 4683000 159317 greygarious 1 4683089 i prefer small bay scallops to large sea scallops, especially for home cooking. I used to make a dish with scallops, shallots, white wine or vermouth, garlic, and green grapes. it's been years since i made it, but i think it's on the horizon now. Thu May 14 08:20:21 -0700 2009 4682875 135229 thew 1 4683792 I've made scallops at home, but as some posters said, they're so much better at a restaurant. I usually get a good sear on them and then deglaze the pan with white wine and a dollop of butter. Serve with a spinach salad. kattyeyes, I totally agree with the scallops from Maine Fish..and their whole belly clams, and shrimp, and baked stuff shrimp. I could go on and on...My dad just went there last weekend and had a baked stuffed lobster that was apparently to die for :) Ugh, I wish I still lived in CT!!! Thu May 14 11:35:45 -0700 2009 4682875 220914 krisrishere 2 4685058 krisrishere, I wish either of us knew what made that Maine Fish batter SO wonderful. They have to get their seafood from City Fish in Wethersfield just like every other restaurant around here, but that *batter*--THAT is something else entirely. My aunt lives not far from Warehouse Point and has been telling us about it for years. Next time you come back to CT, please try to get to La Tavola in Waterbury for yet another wonderful scallop dish--I wouldn't even try to replicate this one, but maybe someone here has made something similar: seared diver scallops over a pea and pancetta risotto. Eating that dish that really drove home the restaurant vs. home cooking advantage of searing a scallop. Theirs was perfection. Thu May 14 17:38:49 -0700 2009 4683792 249664 kattyeyes 3 4685346 pea and pancetta risotto, wow that sounds good and if you start with some shallots and finish with a whipped egg it is almost a risotto carbonara Thu May 14 19:29:15 -0700 2009 4685058 11290 jfood 3 4686332 Definitely City Fish. The batter is probably something ridiculously simple, plus they most likely use a mixture of new and old oil. I'm in Norfolk - I'm surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean - you'd think I get all of this great seafood; nope. The seafood selection here bites. I constantly crave the seafood back in CT. I am all over that pea and pancetta risotto. Are there nice chunks of crispy pancetta in there? Mm :) Fri May 15 07:42:32 -0700 2009 4685058 220914 krisrishere 4 4687463 What a bummer re your current seafood selection. What is the famous crabcake I've read about--Surfrider? Are they not all they're cracked up to be? I am also on a quest to figure out the lump crabcakes at J Gilbert's. Did you ever have those? The risotto was chock full o'peas (yes, green!) and though the pancetta flavor was there, I don't remember crispy chunks. It was sort of similar to the consistency when you use pancetta to make pasta fagiole. But oh so delicious! You just have to move back here or come home to visit more often! ;) Fri May 15 13:21:30 -0700 2009 4686332 249664 kattyeyes 5 4689754 I've never had the crabcakes at J. Gilbert's but I had scallops there once and they were fabulous! The steak I had there..not so much..asked for medium-rare, I think it was still mooing. Surf Rider's crabcake are amazing, the same with their broiled scallops. When I talk seafood selection, I'm talking about the ability to get great seafood at places other than restaurants. None of the grocery stores here carry local seafood and I only know of 2 fish markets in the area. You'd think that I would be able to go to the street corner and buy some nice oysters and crabs! The risotto sounds good, I'll have to try that with the seared scallops. Moving back to New England is definitely in the 5 year plan :) Sat May 16 13:10:17 -0700 2009 4687463 220914 krisrishere 6 4689969 Agree on the scallops at J Gilbert's. Their crab bisque is excellent, too (I've had good luck there). That's just bizarre that you can't get great seafood except for restaurants. The things I take for granted here. I did see a recipe online for Surf Rider crab cakes. Will have to check it out when I try to make them again. Glad to hear moving home is in your future. I can tell you miss the Land of Steady Habits! ;) Sat May 16 15:02:11 -0700 2009 4689754 249664 kattyeyes 1 4683847 I love diver scallops and have them fairly often. In the Philly area, it's hard to find fresh bays, except at the shore. I take my diver scallops and dry them off really well. Sprinkle some Old Bay or whatever other seasoning you prefer (Emeril's Bam is good as well) on both sides. I use a large cast iron deep chicken frying pan that I've had for years. Bring it to a high heat and add some olive oil and turn down. Then I add a pat of butter to the pan. Put the scallops in and turn only once, after a few minutes. I like my scallops well cooked, but you can adjust that. Sometimes I make my own tartar sauce with mayo, capers, fresh chopped dill pickles, lemon juice and a few dashes of Tabasco. Sometimes, I just eat them plain with a fresh lemon wedge. They are so tasty and easy to prepare and a real favorite of mine. Thu May 14 11:50:28 -0700 2009 4682875 95489 mschow 2 4685068 mschow, can I share my latest kick? Your tartar sauce sounds even more interesting than mine with the addition of capers, but have you thought of swapping the Tabasco for sriracha? Yeah, baby! I am so hooked on sriracha tartar sauce. Thu May 14 17:41:03 -0700 2009 4683847 249664 kattyeyes 1 4683936 Jfood used to love deep fried scallops, breaded, fried with a little tartar sauce. Now he likes them more au naturale. He loves a wild mushroom risotto with a few seared dry-scallop. 1 - Make some risotto (jfood uses vegetable stock) 2 - a little evoo into a pan; get real hot; place wiped-dry scallops into the pan, maybe 2 minutes; flip and 2 minutes on the other side. A little salt and onto the risotto. Usually 4-5 per person. On top you may want a few blanched asparagus tips or diced super sweet tomatoes Thu May 14 12:11:49 -0700 2009 4682875 11290 jfood 2 4685080 NICE! But I promise you (if you're ever in the area), one visit to Maine Fish Market would suck you back in to the land of deep fried scallops right quick. Just don't bother with the side dishes there. :) I like your risotto idea--similar to the La Tavola presentation. We have to try this, too. Are you using a cast iron pan when you do the 2-minute sear? Thu May 14 17:45:37 -0700 2009 4683936 249664 kattyeyes 3 4685340 Calphalon non-stick if you believe it. Thu May 14 19:27:51 -0700 2009 4685080 11290 jfood 4 4685828 Jfood, I'm with you on the Calphalon. Works great. Fri May 15 03:06:06 -0700 2009 4685340 15691 mcel215 1 4686007 I usually use them with shrimp, mussels, white fish, in a Zuppa di Pesce- kinda thing with tomato sauce, garlic, wine- it's one of my husband's favorites. You can serve over spaghett or some other pasta but I like to just dunk bread in the sauce and guzzle copious amounts of wine while eating... I don't think I've had them battered and fried. Once we had some bacon wrapped and broiled and they were good, but at that point you really only taste the bacon. Fri May 15 05:43:52 -0700 2009 4682875 110426 Boccone Dolce 1 4686123 Though the trend is for heavily seared scallops, I prefer them lightly cooked. A few minutes overall in a pan or on a grill, which means they aren't well done. I like the taste of the scallop itself with a little lime or lemon butter. I will heat a pan, cook some light veggies in butter - say julienned zucchini, maybe some capers and maybe some diced red or other color pepper - with a little garlic and shallots, cook until softened and then add the scallops and toss so the tastes meld. As for salting, I salt early so the taste disperses and highlights the other flavors. Pepper can be added at different times but late salt tastes like salt. Fri May 15 06:34:41 -0700 2009 4682875 71350 lergnom 1 4690208 At Chen Yang Li in NH (Bedford and Bow), one of my favorites is Sunkist Scallops and Walnuts, which includes huge ones in an orangy sauce similar to Gen Tso's sauce, crisp walnuts and steamed broccoli. Sat May 16 17:05:20 -0700 2009 4682875 159317 greygarious 1 4691656 it is pretty hard to get a nice sear on anything except a "dry-pack" scallop--gas or electric range. a few points of agreement with others--ina garten's scallops provencal is really good, though the notion of splitting large scallops isn't attractive. sometimes, i serve these scallops with fried polenta (the polenta includes roasted garlic and chopped thyme) dressed with chopped roasted tomatoes and chopped bacon pieces. Sun May 17 11:58:33 -0700 2009 4682875 270283 silverhawk