Those that know me or have been following my blog will know that one of my favorite food is scallops! I love the jumbo scallops that I usually get at Favola and Prime at Le Meridien KL - big and juicy!
A (plate of) scallop a day keeps Baby Sumo a happy girl..
I have been searching for fresh scallops to buy in supermarkets and also the wet market but to no avail. If anyone knows where I can buy fresh ones, please let me know! So, one day I found these rather large scallops in the supermarket but they were frozen. I was craving for scallops so I thought why not try them out. Do make sure that you defrost them properly and then pat them dry with a kitchen towel before searing them on high heat in the pan. Do not overcook them as they will shrink in size and also become slightly rubbery, the cooking time depends on the size of the scallops. Furthermore scallops are quite delicate and require very little cooking time. (If you visit a French restaurant, you will find that that their scallops are usually barely cooked so 1 minute cooking time each side is sufficient - but this is also highly dependent on personal preference)
I found the frozen scallops to be decent, but of course if you can get your hands on fresh ones, that's the way to go. I love mushrooms, so I paired the scallops with a melange of mushrooms - I used grey oyster, buna-shimeji and button mushrooms. You can use any type of mushrooms that you like including shitake and enoki. A dash of truffle oil completes this dish - perfect as a starter to your mea! l.
Another way of serving the scallops is to serve them with a summer garden salad. The recipe for the saladcan be found here- all you need to do is top the salad with the pan seared scallops. I do prefer the first way of serving them with mushrooms better.
Pan seared scallops with sauteed mushrooms
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5-10 minutes
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
1 pack of scallops, preferably fresh (approx. 20 no)
1 pack of buna-shimeji mushrooms, ends cut off
200g grey oyster mushrooms, sliced thinly
100g button mushrooms, sliced thinly
4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, totaste
Truffle oil
Chives, finely chopped for garnishing
1. Heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan. Put in all the mushrooms and saute for 3-4 minutes, until cooked thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. (You can cook the scallops at the same time)
2. Meanwhile, clean the scallops and pat them dry with a kitchen towel. Season the scallops on one side with salt and pepper.
2. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Make sure the pan is piping hot before you put the scallops in. You want to have a nice sear on the scallops to seal in the juices.
3.Put the scallops in, seasoned side down in a clockwise direction. This is merely for convenience sake so that you know which scallop went in first for timi! ng purpo ses. Cook the scallops for about 1 - 2 minutes on each side, depending on the size of the scallop and the amount of sear you want on the scallop. Be careful not to overcook them as it will become rubbery when overcooked. While cooking the first side, you can season the other side of the scallop with salt and pepper. (You can cook them in 2 separate rounds if you can't manage all in 1 minute)
4. To plate, place the mushrooms on the plate and add a dash of truffle oil. Top with 5 scallops per plate and then garnish with chives. Serve immediately.
A hit with both kids and adults in our household :)
Pan seared scallops served with salad with olive balsamic dressing and pumpkin seeds
Colorful!
What's your favourite way of eating scallops? Would love to hear from you.
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