2 replies to this topic

[Rail Paul]

Jane Lear has a nice piece on her blog about an adaptation of Leslie Revsin's recipe for cooking scallops. An increasing number of fish markets don't distinguish between wet scallops (treated with TSP, which increases moisture retention) and dry scallops (which don't have added TSP).

Unlike treated scallops, which are flabby and too shiny, these were firm and creamy white, with a natural come-hither bloom that was impossible to resist. They were moist yet a little sticky to the touch, so I knew they would brown beautifully. Scallops treated with STP are slippery; they can absorb as much as 25 percent in water weight (which you, the consumer, pay for) and when cooked, they “weep” and end up shriveled, not sautéed, with a soapy aftertaste.

What caught my eye in the recipe below were the herbes de Provence. A friend gave me a jar of her homemade blend—a heady combination of dried thyme, rosemary, winter savory, bay leaf, marjoram, sage, and lavender—for Christmas, and it was high time to branch out from roast chicken and lamb.

Searing in a cast iron pan, then a few minutes in a 450 degree oven sounds like a quick and effective way to cook scallops

lJane Lear

Adapted from Great Fish, Quick: Delicious Dinners from Fillets and Shellfish by Leslie Revsin (published by Doubleday, 1997)

[Rich]

Jane Lear has a nice piece on her blog about an adaptation of Leslie Revsin's recipe for cooking scallops. An increasing number of fish markets don't distinguish between wet scallops (treated with TSP, which increases moisture retention) and dry scallops (which don't have added TSP).

Unlike treated scallops, which are flabby and too shiny, these were firm and creamy white, with a natural come-hither bloom that was impossible to resist. They were moist yet a little sticky to the touch, so I knew they would brown beautifully. Scallops treated with STP are slippery; they can absorb as much as 25 percent in water weight (which you, the consumer, pay for) and when cooked, they “weep” and end up shriveled, not sautéed, with a soapy aftertaste.

What caught my eye in the recipe below were the herbes de Provence. A friend gave me a jar of her homemade blend—a heady combination of dried thyme, rosemary, winter savory, bay leaf, marjoram, sage, and lavender—for Christmas, and it was high time to branch out from roast chicken and lamb.

Searing in a cast iron pan, then a few minutes in a 450 degree oven sounds like a quick and effective way to cook scallops

lJane Lear

Adapted from Great Fish, Quick: Delicious Dinners from Fillets and Shellfish by Leslie Revsin (published by Doubleday, 1997)

Found that placing scallops between two paper towels and leave in the fridge for a least an hour works wonders for searing - works for dry or wet scallops. But buy dry if at all possible.

[Suzanne F]

Looks like an interesting recipe. Maybe I'll try it sometime, but tonight I'm just doing my usual quick sear in clarified butter.