Seafood. Shrimp. Scallops. What do all of they items have in common? Home cooks are terrified of cooking them. And I am here to put an end to that!
One of the most requested classes I have is how to cook shellfish and seafood.
First, make sure your scallops are dry. Sometimes they have a “foot”. Which tends to be a bit tougher than the rest of the scallop meat. It’s easy to notice as it kind of sticks out. Just gently tear that off and use it in your fish stock…or not if that’s not your thing.
Lay your scallops on a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper. Remember salt will draw out any extra moisture. And when you have a dry surface you get a better sear.
In the meantime get your stainless or cast iron frying pan ready. Throw in about 2 tablespoons of butter in there. Let it melt over medium high heat. Once the butter is all melted and sizzling go ahead and place your scallops into the butter, making sure your placing them carefully into the pan in an “away from you” motion so to not burn yourself with the butter.
Now here is the most important part. DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Let them cook. It will take about 5 minutes on the first side. Seriously. Leave them alone. And only flip them when they freely pull away from the pan. Now we let them cook for another 3 minutes on the other side and then finish off with a drizzle of lemon over them in the hot pan. Remove the scallops and serve them with a few lemon wedges.