I really enjoy scallops, but I had a bit of trouble learning how to make them. Now that I know what I did wrong, I no longer have any trouble making seared scallops.
What was I doing wrong? I was buying the wrong scallops. It’s that simple.
Now that I know what scallops to buy, seared scallops are a quick, and easy to make, and work as an appetiser, or a main course. They cook in minutes, and are easy to master.
Bay Scallops vs Sea Scallops
When talking about scallops, the first distinction that comes to mind is bay scallops vs sea scallops. Bay scallops are the smaller ones, whereas sea scallops are the larger ones.
Bay scallops, as the name suggests come from shallow waters of bays, found along the east coast of North America. They tend to be much smaller than sea scallops, and are usually less than a half inch in diameter.
Sea scallops come from deeper, colder sea waters, and tend to be much larger. These can be two inches in diameter. These are the scallops that you want to get when you are making seared scallops.
Dry Scallops vs Wet Scallops
Now that we know that we want Sea Scallops, the next decision when buying scallops is, “dry scallops” vs “wet scallops”. This wet vs dry isn’t referring to the scallops being in water or not, but with how they are treated after they are harvested.
Wet Scallops are treated with a chemical called “sodium tripolyphosphate” (or STPP). STPP helps preserve the scallops after they are harvested, and helps plump them up a bit more, retaining more water. Dry scallops are not treated with STPP.
When making seared scallops, you want Dry Scallops. The extra water retained due to the STPP prevents a nice crust forming on the scallops, and will give you a sub par finished product.
If the scallops are not labeled as “wet” or “dry”, if they are sitting in what looks like a white, almost milky liquid, they are probably “wet” scallops.
Wet scallops tend to be cheaper than dry scallops because they have a longer shelf life, and because they are plumped up with water, so they tend to be heavier. If you can find them though, dry scallops are worth the extra cost.
| Prep Time | 2 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Passive Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
- 12 sea scallops dry scallops if you can find them
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- kosher salt
Ingredients
| |
- Season the scallops on both sides with kosher salt.
- Cover a plate with paper towels, and place the scallops on the plate. Place some more paper towels over the scallops, and set them in the fridge to draw some of the moisture out.
- Let them rest in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Once you are ready to cook the scallops, heat a large cast iron pan over medium high heat.
- Once the pan is heated, add the vegetable oil to the pan.
- Use paper towel to pat dry the scallops.
- Place scallops on to the cast iron pan, leaving space between the scallops. The space between them lets the moisture evaporate while they are cooking.
- After about a minute, the bottom of the scallops should be brown, and slightly crispy, once they are browned, flip them over, one by one.
- Allow the second side to cook for about another minute, until it has browned.
- Transfer the scallops to some paper towel to absorb any excess oil, and then plate to serve.
