Scallops question

[dls1]

View attachment 507566
Sam's Club of all places has wonderful sea scallops.

I use a very lite sprinkle of white pepper or a lemon pepper and sear them in browned butter until they are 140°. Then deglaze the pan with a little pat of new butter, a squeeze of lemon and maybe some vino. This is to drizzle them.

That said, a favorite recipe when showing off for guests is:
Coquilles St. Jacques
Recipe courtesy Craig Claiborne

4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound sea or bay scallops
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Pinch cayenne

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots. Cook briefly, stirring, and add the mushrooms. Cook until wilted and add the salt, pepper, and wine. Add the scallops and bring to the boil. Cook until all the scallops are heated through, stirring gently as necessary. Take care not to let the scallops overcook or they will toughen. Using a slotted spoon, remove and set aside the scallops and mushrooms. Reserve the liquid. There should be about > cup of liquid. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk. When blended add the reserved liquid, stirring until thickened and smooth. Add the milk and 1 cup of the cream. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of cayenne. Whip the remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Fold it into the sauce. Use 6 individual scallop shells or ramekins. Spoon equal portions of the scallops and mushrooms into each shell. Spoon the sauce over the scallop mixture. Preheat the broiler to high. Place the filled shells under the broiler about 6 inches from the source of heat and bake until a nice brown glaze forms on top. As the scallops broil, turn shells occasionally for even browning, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Thanks a lot for the memory jogger, thirdeye.

In the early 1970s, early in my career, I was working in NYC, and my fiance and I were living on the upper east side of Manhattan. On the same block of our apartment building was a small local restaurant and lounge that was very much a "Cheers" kind of place. The regulars were an eclectic group with greatly diverse backgrounds, and one of them was Craig Claiborne, who we became well acquainted with. When we got married, many of the regulars were invited, including Craig. His wedding gift to us was an 8 qt. Le Creuset oval oven inside of which was a container of Beluga cavier and a personalized autographed copy of his cookbook. The first dish I cooked from his book was the Coquilles St. Jacques.

 

[TNJAKE]

Imitation scallops might be sold in some retail outlets, as the imitation krab is.... but at least krab is identified by the spelling and the incredibly lower price. Imitation scallops used by restaurants in appetizers (fried and stuffed appetizers) or in a saucy dish like seafood Newburg are where the customer is deceived.


I mentioned Sam's Club earlier, the scallops they sell have the description below. they used to come in 5# bags, now they are in 1.5# bags for $27. So $18/lb. For the local options I have, they are the best deal and quality in town.

About this item

• North Atlantic sea scallops with fresh flavor
• Frozen immediately to preserve freshness
• Caught, shucked and rinsed of any sand or grains in the wild
• Dried scallops with no added chemicals or preservatives
• Marked with the U.S. Grade A stamp of approval for certified high-quality scallops

I get the same scallops from sam's. Never been dissapointed

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

1.5# bags for $27. So $18/lb

That just a bit pricey for me. I really miss my crab. They stopped putting on buffets and store price is to much. One of these days I will splurge and have a seafood dinner. My favorite food!

 

[rc4u]

i am making sams scallops tonight.. my wife always thinks there freezer burned.. but like explained on previous pages post not so honey.. usa caught n froze from the wild. sea's

 

[DRKsmoking]

Curious where you can snorkel for them? I get them diving ocassionally but usually need to be at least 130 feet deep in my area- South of Long Island or ouside of Block. The exception is a couple times I've gone up to Gloucester, MA where they are much shallower.

Hi WaterRat, where I go it is normally 10 ft deep and with incoming tide 16 plus, between some of the small islands here on the coast. Nice gravelly bottom or heavy sand is where the scallops like to sit and have the tide flow by to help them eat . I just have my small zodiac tethered to my waste and i go down and swim and gather them up into my bag and go up dump in boat and back down. The things I do for love . Ha Ha

David

 

[chef jimmyj]

Some Restaurants cheat using lesser quality or fake seafood. But, if they get reported Truth in Advertising Laws apply and the fines are stiff. Not to mention, customers are pretty savvy. Pass off fake or low quality too long and watch your customers dissappear. There was a new Sub Shop that opened in town. Year one, they used good quality meats and cheese an plenty of it on loaded Subs. The line was out the door for their sandwiches. Year two the meat quality went down but still a nice meaty sandwich. Year three, low quality meat and less of it, not worth the money. There was no year four as the place went under. Call it Greed or making stupid decisions, but it killed what was once the best Sub Shop in town...JJ

 

[Smoke-Chem BBQ]

Lots of ways , but Mona likes pan fried salt and pepper. I not big on shell fish.

I know ours are real scallops as i snorkel for them as she really loves them, so that is what I do for her.
If you know where to go and what kind of bottom in the water to look for , no problem to grab a few pounds
a lot cheaper than in the stores at $25.00 =/- per pound, my yearly license is $16.95 so not bad , to just go for a swim when I am asked

David

Interesting; I guess the colder water keeps them happy in the shallows.
We have scallops off of NJ, but much deeper. I do a lot of wreck diving, and it's rare to find them much shallower than 130'. They're more common at 150' and deeper. Right around the wrecks is prime territory, as the dredgers seem to clean them out everywhere else, but the fishing boats won't risk snagging their dredge on the shipwrecks so they don't get too close.
But, like the lobsters, they are oh, so good when consumed within a couple of hours of being harvested!

 

[DRKsmoking]

Interesting; I guess the colder water keeps them happy in the shallows.
We have scallops off of NJ, but much deeper. I do a lot of wreck diving, and it's rare to find them much shallower than 130'. They're more common at 150' and deeper. Right around the wrecks is prime territory, as the dredgers seem to clean them out everywhere else, but the fishing boats won't risk snagging their dredge on the shipwrecks so they don't get too close.
But, like the lobsters, they are oh, so good when consumed within a couple of hours of being harvested!

I am sure that they are out deeper also. But with the license I get you have to specifie which way you are going to harvest the scallops.
By snorkel, rake or dive. So if I had my license with me and I was snorkeling for them , but happened to have a rake ( very long handle with like a blueberry scoop on the end )in the boat with me. And the Fishery folks dropped by . It would be a very bad day for me.

But yes cooked right away from coming out of the water ....very fresh and happy wife , you know the rest

David