how do I cook scallops? how do you know when they're done?

Question

I normally fry them in butter and squirt with lemon juice, but Im never sure if I've done them for long enough.

Answer 1

Assuming your scallops are sparklingly fresh (and if they're not, you shouldn't buy them in the first place) they don't actually need cooking at all - they can be eaten raw as sashimi. Now you may not want to do this, but the point is, short cooking time is fine and in fact better.
Of course it depends on the size of the scallop as to how long it needs to cook - and weather you are cooking just the meat or the meat plus the orange-pink coral - the coral takes less time to cook. This is why many top chefs remove the coral before cooking. The coral doesn't have to be wasted - it can be pounded with butter to make scallop butter - very nice on grilled fish - or left to dry overnight in a very slow oven and crumbled over finely sliced and stir-fried cabbage or seaweed.

However, my advice on cooking the scallop meat is to get a heavy based pan very very hot - leave it on the heat with no oil or butter for several minutes. Rub the base of the hot pan with a block of butter and add your dry scallops (dry them beforehand on kitchen paper).
Take a look at the pan-side after 30 seconds - is it crusting nicely? If so, turn it over and give it another 30 seconds. If not, give it another 10 secs then turn it.

The key to this is really to get that pan hot hot hot before you cook - otherwise the scallops will stew rather than fry and caremelise nicely.


And another thing - please please please use hand-dived scallops. They're much more expensive but the alternative involves dredging the bottom of the sea bed and removing everything from it - meaning there's no breeding ground for scallops or fish for years to come.

Take a look at my recipe for below for scallops with Iberico ham and hazelnuts...

Answer 2

You're probably not letting them brown. You need a non-stick pan, and to follow this method. Then you will know for sure that you've cooked them enough.

Cook them in butter with a little olive oil. Heat up the butter and oil until it's actually smoking a little, then put the scallops in carefully, each one flat side down. Do not move them! Let them sit there and spit boiling stuff in your direction for about four minutes. Underneath, they are developing a sweet brown caramelised crust. If you move them in any way, they will not get a chance to do so.

After 3-4 minutes, carefully turn ONE over to see if it's looking nice and brown and caramelised. If so, flip them all over. If not, leave another minute, no more.

Let the other side cook for another 2-3 minutes. No longer, or they will dry out.

A minute before the end of cooking you can squeeze lemon juice over. It will not make them any sweeter, but it'll liven up the pan juices.

Put on a plate and eat right away. I mean right away. As soon as five minutes after cooking, fried scallops stop tasting as good as they were fresh from the pan. Ten minutes later and they're greasy and inedible.

Any recipe for scallop casserole is a disaster. Guaranteed to turn them into little rubbery nubs.

Answer 3

When Are Scallops Done Cooking

Answer 4

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NEVER eat scallops raw! Shell fish can make you very ill if you are not careful how you handle them. They don't take long too cook at all. If they are rubbery, they are overdone. They should be completely white when cooked. I usually steam them first then just quickly broil on each side. The whole process (depending on the size) should only take a few minutes.

Answer 5

Clean them carefully, pat them dry. Toss them into a hot pan with hot oil, and sear them on both sides until the tops are nice and brown and the scallop is heated all the way through. Salt and pepper them, and you're good to go! If you're cooking with fresh seafood, you don't need to worry too much about them being on the rare side.

Answer 6

PAN-FRIED SCALLOPS

1 1/2 lb. rinsed sea scallops
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika
1/2 c. butter
2 c. cooked rice
1/4 c. white wine

Mix bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and paprika. Roll scallops thoroughly in bread crumb mixture.

In a large skillet, heat butter until frothy. Add scallops and saute until lightly browned.

Gently remove scallops from skillet and arrange on bed of rice. Add wine to butter in skillet; boil gently while stirring for 1 minute. Pour over scallops.

Answer 7

Sacrilege! No scallop needs more than one minute per side in a really hot pan. Touch them and they should be just yielding.

Answer 8

They don't need long at all or else they go rubbery - just ensure that they are hot all the way through. Pan frying is fine -I'd say about 30 secs on each side in a hot pan should do it.

Answer 9

They really only need to get hot. Any longer and they go rubbery.
It sound like your doing them fine. Personally, I add some garlic with the butter.

Answer 10

Grilled scallop and snails on Thai-curried butternut squash puree with sweet potato crisps.

Serves 3



Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour






Ingredients
400g/14oz butternut squash
500ml/17fl oz peanut oil
1 smallish orange fleshed sweet potato
2 red peppers, quartered, seeds and stem removed
3 red chillies, halved lengthways, stem removed
6 cloves garlic, sliced fine
200g/7oz ginger, peeled and finely sliced
100g/ 3½oz galangal, peeled and finely sliced
5 lime leaves
2 lemon grass stems, outer two layers removed, then finely slice the bottom 6cm
50g/2oz grated pale palm sugar
6 large diver caught scallops, out of the shell, cleaned
50g/2oz butter
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
18 snails, prepped, in brine
150ml/5fl oz roast chicken jus
the juice of one lime
a handful of chopped parsley
a handful of mizuna leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper



Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the squash on a baking tray and roast until cooked and the skin has darkened, about 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato, then using a vegetable peeler, peel thin strips of potato until you have a pile of ribbons.
3. Heat the peanut oil up in a wok to 170C/325F. Cook the ribbons in small batches until crisp and golden, then drain well on kitchen paper, salt lightly.
4. Turn the oil up to 180C/350F and add the 8 pepper quarters and fry until darkened and softened, remove and drain. Cook the chillies the same way, drain.
5. Cook the garlic, then the ginger and galangal all in the same way, cooking only one ingredient at a time, until you have a pile of fried tasty bits.
6. Place them all in a food processor and whizz to a fine paste with the lime leaves and lemongrass. Don t clean the processor, but remove the paste to a clean jar (it will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks).
7. Once the squash is cooked remove it from the oven and cut in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds then scoop the flesh from the skin and place in the food processor. Add the palm sugar, a tsp of salt and half the paste, blitz to a fine purée and taste for seasoning - add more curry paste if desired.
8. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil onto a cold plate, and once cooled lay the scallops on top, then turn over to coat with the oil. Heat a skillet up and when smoking, place the scallops on and cook for 60 seconds each side to get them just beyond rare. Leave to rest in a warm place for a few minutes.
9. Heat up a small pan and add the butter, cook to a brown butter stage then add the garlic and swirl for 5 seconds, add the drained snails and toss for 5 seconds more, then add the jus and lime juice and cook to a syrupy glaze, finish with the parsley and a pinch of salt.