Perfectly Seared Scallops Recipe
Recently, I bought some jumbo-sized Canadian scallops from the supermarket. They are very big, at about 50 grams per scallop. They are also a little pricier at more than $1 per scallop. So I really want to put them to better use than the usual scallops in hot pot or stir-fry.
It had a “wow!” factor with the first bite. Each scallop was an explosion of flavours though all I used for seasoning was … salt and pepper!
I served the dish right in its pan and it looks lovely. I think this is the perfect romantic dish to cook for your date or spouse to impress them, without doing much work actually >o<.
The first trick to getting the scallops perfectly seared is to dry the scallops as much as possible. I used 6 paper towels:O Next, you also need a hot pan. With a heated pan, the scallop will be perfectly seared on the outside, and the cameralised browning will bring out the scallop’s natural umami flavours. The juices within are also sealed in, so the scallops are tender and not shrunken much after cooking. The expert will advise using an old-school cast iron or stainless steel pan for better heat retention, but I achieved great results with a non-stick pan anyway. Also, once on the pan, don’t touch the scallops. Let them sit still until you can see the browning peeking out from the bottom of each scallop.
Normally, I’d make a quick sauce by de-glazing the pan with some dry white wine, but I ran out of it! So I melted some butter and added a squeeze of lemon juice and then scoop the buttery sauce over the scallops. Any leftover sauce was soaked up with some thawed frozen spinach.
