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Easy Pan Seared Sea Scallops – During a quick trip to the supermarket earlier this week, I came across fresh sea scallops at the seafood counter.
I usually buy them three or four at a time for Mom but these scallops were so fresh and reasonably priced that I bought enough to make dinner for two.
Set a pretty table! Serve the sea scallops in their own shells!
Sea scallops are the perfect choice because you can prepare them in so many different ways. Even on the grill!
At the seafood counter, you will find fresh and frozen scallops throughout the year but they are at their freshest and best tasting during the winter months.
If you decide to buy frozen scallops, make sure they were flash frozen and are practically free of any liquor.
Sur La Table Pro Ceramic Shrimp and Scallop Pan CC7688
Sea scallops are good for you too! They contain good, quality protein, very little fat and plenty of minerals.
Scallops are versatile as well – you can add them to soups, rich chowders
Cook in a court bouillon (recipe below) and once cooled, you can prepare appetizers or add them to salads.
These easy pan seared sea scallops are quick to prepare but every so often, I take the time to prepare them in a decadent but very easy Coquilles St.Jacques recipe to serve in their beautiful shells.
For Coquilles St. Jacques, the scallops do need to be poached first.
It’s true. Dinner was planned for two. The only problem is that I ended up eating dinner alone.
That did not stop me from preparing easy pan seared sea scallops (Pétoncles poêlés) – seared in brown butter (au beurre noir).
There are so many scrumptious recipes for sea scallops that it is difficult at times to pick just one. But, in my mind, simple is best when the scallops are super fresh.
Don’t get me wrong. You want them super fresh at all times but when the recipe is as basic as these easy pan seared scallops, you want them to be “right out of the ocean” fresh!
Cote Bretagne –
The shellfish he brought from the coast was not as “fresh” as he wanted it to be.
Allow me to add that we never held it against him that it was less than six hours out of ice- cold Atlantic waters.
Unfortunately, the dinner table was a few hundred miles away from the fishing docks.
Regardless, we had the best of times eating his collection of shellfish then the rest of the holiday meal. We ate until 2 in the morning! But I digress…
Back to the seared sea scallops. I can’t even say that I followed a recipe!
Jumbo sea scallops simply prepared are always the best! These are pan seared in a little butter, then topped with herbs, garlic, and capers.
There is, however, one trick that will make this type of easy pan seared sea scallops dish come out perfectly every time. Well… maybe two tricks.
▶️The scallops must be “”dried” of all liquor on paper towels before you sauté them.
▶️The frying pan has to be super hot and large enough to hold the scallops in a single layer.
Pick a pan that will take the heat – in other words, a pan that will not warp when it reaches a certain temperature.
Grease Splatter Screen for Frying Pan 13
It’s not pretty to have hot butter (any hot oil or grease for that matter) splatter out of the pan unexpectedly. Been there, done that. The result? Burns all over my forearms and up into my neck and my face.
So I now wear my long sleeved apron or shirt when frying at high temperatures – and I use a large splatter shield !
A 13 inch wide splatter shield will over even your largest frying pan. They are easy clean stainless steel, go in the dishwasher and never rust! In my kitchen cabinet, this hook-in spatter shield tops them all because it does the ultimate job of protecting me from burns.
I even have this Cuisinart shield that does double duty as a frying pan lid!
A frying pan splatter shield has been a more than welcome addition in my kitchen cabinets.
I have them in several sizes but a large splatter shield comes in handy when frying everything from eggs to chicken or such delicacies as beer battered [popup_product]soft shell crabs[/popup_product] (dry these on a paper towel as they are notorious at splattering oil when the heat hits a pocket of liquid).
There is nothing worse than being on the receiving end of mini explosions of hot fat.
A cast iron frying pan is perfect for this simple recipe. Oh, and don’t be afraid to use butter. Real butter!
Splurge this weekend. Make easy
Wondering about what wine to drink with scallops? Chablis tastes great with seared scallops but so does an Alsatian white. Of course, champagne works with everything but that’s my humble opinion!
Poach fresh sea scallops in court bouillon to add a layer of flavor to cold cooked scallops. Works well with other seafood selections.
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We love seafood! We’ve listed other seafood recipes below. 🎣
Looking for organic seafood? Here is a source for the finest in wild seafood. You will also find a long list of scrumptious recipes for sea scallops!
1 Cook, 2 Countries & A Taste For World Cuisines: Cooking A La Mode De Chez Nous - Cuisine d'Hier Et d'Aujourd'hui! For the love of home style cooking and great food. Memories are made of this!