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Easy seared scallops for romantic meal or company

Use a heavy skillet heated until very hot to sear lightly floured sea scallops in olive oil, giving them an appealing brown crust and keeping the inside tender and moist.

JIM DAMASKE | Times (2012)


In Botticelli's famed painting, The Birth of Venus, the goddess of love can be seen emerging from a giant scallop shell. Scallops, a feast for the eyes, also are a feast for seafood lovers.

Sweet and luscious scallops are bivalves (mollusks with two hinged shells). The entire scallop is edible, but it is the marshmallow-shaped muscle that hinges the two shells (called the nut) that is usually eaten. In Europe it is common to find live scallops with their bright coral reproductive organs still attached.

Lightly dredged in flour and seared quickly in a hot pan so the outside gets crisp and brown and the insides remain tender and creamy, scallops can be served with a sauce made in the same pan.

Although there are hundreds of species of scallops, only a handful are commonly available. The largest and most popular are sea scallops, primarily harvested in the Atlantic from Eastern Canada to North Carolina, but they also originate from Peru, Japan and Russia. They are usually harvested year-round by dredging.

Since they cannot hold their shells closed once they are out of the water, they are usually shucked on board and quickly lose their moisture.

Hand-harvesting sea scallops by divers is less destructive to the scallops. Known as diver scallops, these are much preferred to any other.

Diver scallop season is from November to mid April. The season for smaller bay and calico scallops runs from October through May. Pink scallops are harvested in Washington and British Columbia all year long.

Ask for dry sea scallops at the fish market. This means that they haven't been soaked in a sodium solution that whitens and enlarges the scallops up to 50 percent. Not only are you paying for this unnecessary moisture, but when you cook them, all that liquid leaks out, making it impossible to get a good sear.

Store scallops in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Pat them dry with paper towels before frying; surface moisture impedes browning. Dredging them in Wondra flour promotes browning.

Scallops add an elegant touch to a main dish salad.


Seared Scallops and Peas With Bacon and Mint

The sweet succulence of the scallops combines with the smoky bacon in the sauce to make for a perfect match with a dry Riesling. Served with buttery Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, this recipe will delight your family and guests.

2 ½ cups shelled fresh peas (from 2 pounds peas in the pod) or frozen peas

3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch-wide strips

½ cup coarsely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh mint

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

12 large sea scallops, tough side muscle removed, patted dry

½ cup Wondra flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the peas and cook for about 2 minutes, or just until they are bright green and tender (cook frozen peas just 30 seconds). Drain and transfer the peas to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well.



Place flour on a flat plate, season the scallops with salt and pepper, and dredge scallops in flour. Heat another large, heavy skillet over high heat until it is very hot. Add the olive oil, then add the scallops and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the underside is golden brown. Turn the scallops and cook for about 2 minutes more, or until the other side is golden brown but the scallops are still translucent when pierced in the center with the tip of a small knife. Transfer the scallops to paper towels to drain briefly.


Serves 4.

Source: Adapted from Curtis Stone's What's for Dinner? (Ballantine Books, $35)

Easy seared scallops for romantic meal or company 06/18/13 [Last modified: Monday, June 17, 2013 11:40am]
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