Cooking Scallops

Essential Tips for Choosing, Preparing, and Cooking Scallops

We all love scallops. However, there are a few setbacks for this lovely shelled seafood in terms of preparation, buying, and cooking. Many times, we buy scallops that are no longer fresh. Sometimes, we also buy scallops that are not really scallops but were just called so. And of course, there is nothing more frustrating than cooking scallops the wrong way. Once put in the oven, we expect the same great look and taste but to our dismay, the outcome is nowhere near the masterpiece we saw in the restaurant. So without further ado, here are several important things you need to know about scallop so you can enjoy a sumptuous, delicious, and healthy Mediterranean diet.

Weight and the Type

It is confusing what labels like 20/30 or U/15 mean. For the 20/30 label, it means that it would take about 20-30 pieces of the scallops to make a pound. If the numbers are smaller, this means the scallops are larger and heavier. The letter “U” in the label U/15 means “under”. The label means it would take less than 15 pieces of the scallops to make up a pound.

Next, you will see lots of names like Bay Scallops, Sea Scallops, and so on. But are the differences between these types?  The bay scallops are the smallest of the scallops. This is the sweet and delicate type but not really ideal for pan-searing. This scallop variety is also known in a variety of names like Nantucket scallops, china scallops, cape scallops, queen scallops, and calico scallops.

Sea scallops are the large type. These will take only about 10 pieces to make up a pound. This is the type that is ideal for pan-searing and filet mignon. This type of scallop is also known as king scallops, jumbo scallops. Alaskan scallops, and great scallops.

Choosing the Scallops

Let us say you are in a supermarket, are you going to pick wet or dry scallop? Are you going to choose fresh or frozen? The answers are pretty simple. If you live near the coast where scallops are sold fresh, get the fresh ones. The problem here is your guarantee that the scallops are actually fresh. Some vendors might sell you scallops that are four or five days old. In cases like this, buying frozen scallops is better. When thawing frozen scallops, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight. Do not thaw using the microwave or room temperature because you will attract bacteria. You can also thaw it through running cold water but keep it sealed so the juices do not get drained.

Commercial scallops are often soaked in phosphate solution. This whitens the scallop and lets the scallop absorb more water and thus increasing its weight. Your best option is to buy dry packed scallops. If you are buying fresh, then you do not have to worry about being cheated.

Preparing and Cooking

Preparation is pretty simple. Once thawed, open the shell by inserting a knife in front of the scallop. Move the shell as you keep the knife blade sticking to the top shell. Once opened, remove the meat and wash away any sand or grit. Remove the muscle and it is ready for cooking.

Make sure you do not overcook the scallop because if you do, it will toughen and it will not be good to the taste. As long as the scallop has lost its translucency, it’s done. When baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees and cook for 12 to 15 minutes. If you are going to broil it, make sure that the pan is greased well and elevate about 3-4 inches away from the source of the heat. For sautéed scallops, dust them with flour first and cook until each side is light brown.

About the Author

Ray Darken has provided more at this link on the subject of scallops nutrition. For related healthy recipes, read about the Mediterranean diet recipes club and while you are there download his free Mediterranean diet report.

How to cook perfect scallops pt 2 – with Gordon Ramsay

Bay scallop and citrus ceviche recipe

 

Cooking Seafood Scallop

Inspiration, Cooking and Wine

You know on a Sunday no one should really work….with one exception, I am not going to either. And, while I have never been accused of being a master motivator (sorry, that is not my strength), I do come across some things that I like and, hey, why not share. Also, I have been accused for having a passion for good cooking and an occasional class of a good wine. So, why not share a little inspiration, food and wine.

The Paper Airplane Movie by Michael McMillan is a good little diddy that really represents what Steve Heideman and Fulcrum Investment Network are trying to accomplish and instill….thinking outside the box. Regardless of what we do, isn’t it a novel idea to do some things outside the box? Anyways, hope the little diddy makes an impression.

We know we can always find good recipes by going to sites like FoodTV, but isn’t it great to find a tried and true recipe from some “normal” person?! Listed below is a gumbo recipe that, while I did not create, I did modify it quite q bit. I am biased, but I think it is awesome. If Gumbo is your thing, you might also want to check out gumbocity for additional things to look at. Here you go:

2/3 Cups Flour

2/3 Cups Vegetable Oil

Mix the flour and oil together in an iron soup pot until

the roux is caramel

2 Cups Onions Add onions, celery & peppers.

1 Cup Celery

1/2 Cup Green Bell Peppers, chopped

Saute and cook until the onions are glossy

1/2 Cup Green Onion tops, chopped

1/4 Cup Parsley

4 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Add onions, parsley and garlic. Saute. Add hot water (4 cups). Stir

2 lbs. Shrimp, raw and peeled

2 Larger Cans of Crabmeat

2 Fillets of Catfish

2 Fillets of Talapia

1 lb. of Scallops….larger sized ones

1 Pint of Oysters and liquid

2-3 8oz bottles of clam juice

Add Shrimp, Crabmeat, Catfish, Talapia, Scallops, anything else you want…hey you won’t ruin it.

1 and 1/2 quarts of hot water

1 Tablespoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Add hot water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook.

Remember, gumbo is supposed to be soupy and I like soups with lots of liquid. So, feel free to play with up or down with liquid to your liking.

Add can of tomatoes….hey, how much depends on you….this will give the soup both good flavor and color.

Now here is where you play…..I like to add in some Old Bay Seasoning (maybe 1 – 2 tablespoons), some Zatarain’s (maybe a tablespoon) and as much or as little Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. Remember, cook the soup down for flavor and add more liquid (fish liquid, if possible) if you want.

Now, what I do shortly before serving is I put 1 lb of shrimp in so they dont cook down into little nuggets and I put in 2 lbs of nice and clean Alaskan King Crab legs. Bring soup to a complete boil, reduce heat and be ready to serve.

Serve with Rice….white rice please.

Did anyone say wine?

For any of you who are Pinot Noir fans, I have a great recommendation. While this one is a little pricey, it is a great find. Also, you will probably have to order it (if you can get it) as this wine is typically snatched up by hotels and high end restaurants.

The Pinot in question….Pisoni Pinot Noir . If you order it, you will have to buy a case (6 bottles). I think last year’s price was around$375.00. However, for those Pinot lovers our there….or even if you are not…you will get hooked in with this label.

If anyone tries the recipes I send along, please let me know. Be interested to see what people think.

About the Author

John R. Park is President of PGI SelfDirected and co-founding Partner of Fulcrum Investment Network

How does one prepare Large Scallops?

~~~I am planning on cooking large scallops for dinner. What is the best way to cook them?

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/srch/reci…

Angel Hair Pasta with Scallops and Arugula
Fine Italian capers come from Pantelleria and Salina, two small Sicilian islands. They are packed in salt and have a sweet, floral fragrance, nothing like sharp-tasting brine-packed varieties. Luckily, Sicilian capers are becoming easier to find. Ask for them at Italian specialty-food stores, where they are usually sold in large plastic bags. To prepare salted capers, soak them in cool water for about 15 minutes, changing the water once or twice, to remove excess salt. Give them a final rinse and drain well.

1 1/2 lb. large sea scallops, side muscle
removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Leaves from 2 or 3 large fresh thyme sprigs,
minced
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
5 shallots, minced
1 lb. angel hair pasta
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed
and drained
1/2 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 large bunch arugula, preferably small
leaved, stems removed

Rinse the scallops and dry well with paper towels. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. In a large, heavy fry pan over high heat, warm the olive oil until it shimmers. In batches without crowding, add the scallops and sear until nicely browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the scallops over and brown the other side, about 1 minute more. Return all the scallops to the pan, add the lemon zest and thyme, and cook for a moment. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the scallops to a bowl. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter and shallots to the pan. Sauté until softened, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the boiling water, add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 3 to 4 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, add the lemon juice and stock to the fry pan and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta well and add it to the fry pan. Add the scallops and any juices that have accumulated, then add the capers and pine nuts. Toss over low heat to finish cooking the scallops and mix the ingredients, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Transfer to a warmed large, shallow bowl, add the arugula leaves and toss gently. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series,Pasta,by Erica De Mane (Simon & Schuster, 2001).

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/re…

Meet the Chef: Charles Zeran
Who or what was your first cooking influence? “It wasn’t my mom. I thought until I was about 12 years old that all biscuits came out of a can. I knew breakfast was ready ’cause I heard a sound like (a knife scraping against a piece of burned toast). My grandmother was a good cook. My dad was a good cook.”

Sargent Choice Cooking: Mizo-Glazed Scallops with Fresh Vegetables and Soba Noodles

 

Cooking Scallops

Not a Cook? Cooking Seafood is Your Easy, Quick, Nutritious Menu Choice

In today’s health conscious society, seafood has taken a premier spot in our daily menus. When you compare the cost of a steak or roast, seafood now ranks high, in terms of economy and nutrition. We find new and delicious alternatives to chicken and beef. Just five years ago, fish such as tilapia, orange roughy, swordfish and Chilean bass were not as readily available in the supermarkets. Now, we have a large and varied choice of seafood in the grocery stores. We’re also aware of the many health benefits of eating seafood. Nutritionists and doctors alike are recommending at least two servings be included in our menus each week.

Cooking seafood is so easy and convenient, you don’t even have to know how to cook in order to enjoy this healthy food from the oceans. Due to the current popularity of seafood, many companies are offering frozen seafood fillets in convenient single serving, microwaveable packets (usually four servings to a bag), with a number of gourmet sauces already in the bag! Nuke and serve! It couldn’t be easier.

Alternatively, when cooking seafood fillets, you don’t need to be an expert sauce maker should you buy a plain fillet. There are a number of excellent bottled sauces, salsas and easily made sauces in packets – like hollandaise – with which you can adorn your fillets. The simplest of garnishes is a thinly sliced piece of fresh lemon, topped with a sprig of fresh dill or tarragon for an elegant meal presentation.

When it comes to raw shellfish, cooking seafood is almost foolproof. You get a better price on raw shellfish than an already cooked product, either fresh or frozen. It’s a matter of labor costs. While you do have to do the cooking and shelling, the savings is significant enough to make some pricey shellfish affordable and worth the extra labor. In the case of cooking seafood of the shellfish family is so easy, even a child can do it, with proper adult supervision. How can you tell when shellfish are done? With shrimp, crab or lobster, it’s done when it turns a bright pink. With hard-shelled seafood, such as clams, mussels and oysters, you simply boil them in a quantity of water. When the shells open, they’re done. Those that do not open, should be discarded.

Fresh or frozen, cooking seafood fillets in the microwave is both the quickest method and produces a juicy result. Just follow the instructions on the packet, or ask your seafood counter staff for microwave times. It’s far easier to over cook in the frying pan, under the broiler or on the grill.

When cooking seafood on a shishkebab, such as shrimp skewered with veggies such as pineapple, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions, it’s better to go with the already cooked product. The veggies will cook so quickly, under the broiler or on the grill, that you’re essentially just warming the shrimp as the veggies caramelize a bit. Again, quick and easy.

Cooking seafood is so easy, with a versatility not found in most meats, not to mention the healthy and delicious results, it’s an economical menu choice, you really don’t need to be a cook to enjoy your two servings a week!

About the Author

My sites are updated with fresh content daily. Please Click Here

 

Cooking with Sea Scallops

Cooking Bok Choy….

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Scallops: $26.36 Author autographed bookplates available! While supplies last. Foreword by Chris SchlesingerFinally, a seafood cookbook devoted to New England’s most prized and valuable shellfish--scallops--is here! Scallop foodies Elaine and Karin A. Tammi, a mother/daughter team, have written a cookbook about the scallop fishery that weaves together some of the best recipes in New England with interviews from Nantucket bay scallop fishermen, marine scientists, world-renowned chefs, shuckers, and sea scallopers. Cooking icon Julia Child remarked in a letter to Elaine, “You have done a wonderful bit of research and it should be known.” The authors provide an exciting range of recipe categories, from fusion and contemporary French to Mediterranean and Asian, encompassing appetizers, cold salads with warm dressings, and baked, broiled, grilled, sautéed, stir-fried, and tempura scallop recipes. These tantalizing dishes are accompanied by easy-to-identify symbols indicating which meals can be prepared in thirty minutes or less and those containing fewer than six ingredients. Fishing is the riskiest profession in the world and many trawlers have been lost at sea. A portion of the funds from the sale of this cookbook will be donated to the Fisherman’s Emergency Relief Fund in New Bedford, Massachusetts. ABOUT THE AUTHORS After spending four decades preparing meals for her family and taking gourmet cooking classes, Elaine Tammi enjoys concocting her own recipes. She and her daughter, Karin, have shared their extensive experience by coauthoring articles for Food Arts and Coastal Living magazines and by teaching cooking classes in their local area. She resides in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Fondly referred to as “The Scallop Queen” by her students at Roger Williams University, Karin A. Tammi manages the Shellfish Hatchery and supervises research in Bristol, Rhode Island. The work she completed on the restoration of bay scallops at the University of Rhode Island proved instrumental in the formation of the Bay Scallop Restoration Project in Massachusetts. As an expert in the field of marine biology, Tammi has been featured on National Public Radio and CNN. She lives in Little Compton, Rhode Island.

Lobster Gram SCAL2 2 LBS OF DRY SEA SCALLOPS $88.38 Our Dry Sea Scallops are so incredibly large plump and sweet that you will quickly see why we fell in love with them Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) our sumptuous sea scallops are dry (no liquid added) with no chemicals or preservatives. Our sea scallops are so versatile you can grill saute broil or bake them. Dry Sea Scallop Packages Include:. Dry Sea Scallops. Lobster Gram Cooking Manual

Lobster Gram SCAL3 3 LBS OF DRY SEA SCALLOPS $116.46 Our Dry Sea Scallops are so incredibly large plump and sweet that you will quickly see why we fell in love with them Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) our sumptuous sea scallops are dry (no liquid added) with no chemicals or preservatives. Our sea scallops are so versatile you can grill saute broil or bake them. Dry Sea Scallop Packages Include:. Dry Sea Scallops. Lobster Gram Cooking Manual

Lobster Gram SCAL5 5 LBS OF DRY SEA SCALLOPS $172.62 Our Dry Sea Scallops are so incredibly large plump and sweet that you will quickly see why we fell in love with them Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) our sumptuous sea scallops are dry (no liquid added) with no chemicals or preservatives. Our sea scallops are so versatile you can grill saute broil or bake them. Dry Sea Scallop Packages Include:. Dry Sea Scallops. Lobster Gram Cooking Manual

Cooking Spanish $10.46 Spanish cuisine is wonderfully rich in seafood. Salmon, tuna, shrimp, clams, oysters, and scallops are all featured here in authentic recipes flavored with Spain's other national tastes--olive oil, wine, sea salt, almonds, sherry, and an abundance of vegetables and fruits. Cooking Spanish opens with an extensive chapter on Tapas Traditions, and 250 color photographs show the mouth-watering results. Both practical and inspirational, Cooking Spanish will bring popular Spanish nibbles into any home kitchen.

Diver Select Scallops $72 Diver Select Scallops

On Cooking: $92.96 On Cooking

Cooking $26.39 Cooking

Cooking With Curtis $15.71 Three steps to astonishing meals. Divided by season, Cooking with Curtis features such traditional ingredients as lamb, chocolate and rhubarb along with scallops, vanilla and even truffles. Professional chef Curtis Stone points out that his dishes are often chosen from a restaurant menu, but are rarely prepared at home. He selects 24 ingredients, then offers three different recipes for each: one for beginner cooks, one for the experienced and the last for the adventurous. This three-step approach ingeniously builds confidence in even the most timid cook. After all, cooking basics can be mastered by anyone -- and this book promises that a complex dish can successfully be prepared by following Chef Stone's expert directions. Recipes include: Tagliatelle of white truffles from Alba King prawns with caramelized endive Roasted sea scallop wrapped in pancetta with tomato and gremolata Zuppa ribolita (lentil soup with vegetables) Classic apple tarte tatin with vanilla ice cream. Cooking with Curtis serves up a remarkable repertoire of delightful dishes for cooks of all levels of expertise.