Scallops are a wonderful seafood item that can really be a break from the normal everyday meal. But sadly most home cooks tend to overlook scallops when they are planning meals or at when at the store and the number one reason for this is very simply many people just don’t know how to cook scallops.

When I used to give private cooking lessons (for those that don’t know I am a former chef) scallops where always the item that one had never even tried to cook. People just seem to be scared to death of trying to cook the little things. The funny thing is scallops are very easy to cook and as an added bonus for the home cooks out there cooking scallops only takes a couple of minutes helping you get dinner on the table in no time.

Before we learn how to cook scallops we need to cover some of the basics that we when it come to cook we end up with a quality dishes. First for those that do not scallops are seafood and fall into the shellfish category. Now if you live in the US you will more than likely never come across whole scallops in the shell what you get is the adductor muscle that hinges the shells together.

Scallops have many species but generally fall into two main types bay scallops and sea scallops. Bay scallops which come of the eastern coast are very tiny about a ½ inch in diameter (you get about 100 to a pound) tend to be sweeter and more succulent than sea scallops but they are also very expensive and hard to get a hold of. Now before I confuse anyone the cheaper small scallops you are seeing all the time labeled as bay scallops are really a small form of sea scallops (calico scallops) that come from the Gulf of Mexico and along the east coast of Florida. These scallops have nowhere near the flavor of true bay scallops but unless you live on the east coast you will probably never see a true bay scallop.

The sea scallops on the other hand are generally at lot larger averaging about 1 ½ inch in diameter (about 30 per pound) are what most people think of when they are thinking about scallops. They are slightly chewier but they still have a wonderfully sweet and moist flavor that can’t be beat.

You can get scallops either fresh or frozen. When buying fresh scallops they should have pale beige or slightly pink color, if they are stark white they have been soaked in water to increase their weight. They should also have sweet smell and moist sheen it they smell of ammonia DO NOT BUY them they are going bad. With frozen scallops look to make sure the scallops do not have a lot of ice crystals or seem too lumped together. These are signs that they have been partly thawed and refrozen.

If you are buying fresh scallops they need to be cooked with in a day or two. If you are using frozen scallops make sure to completely thaw before cooking. Now on to how to cook scallops.

When you start learning how to cook scallops the first thing that you must understand is that over cooking scallops (either kind) will cause them to become rubbery and chewy. So we are going to stick with methods that cooking thing very quickly.

This how to cook scallops method is really for the smaller bay scallops what we are going to do is poach the scallops very quickly.

The first thing you need to do is to get the poaching liquid ready. I like to use equal part water and a dry white wine, a few whole black pepper corns, a little salt, a couple of lemon slices and a bay leaf. Place all items (expect the scallops) in the large pot. Bring the mixture to boil and then allow to simmer for about 10 minutes so all the flavors can come together.

Now it is time to add the scallops. Once you add the scallop stir gently and remove the pan from the heat. Let the scallops poach in the pot for about 2 and half to three minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon.

 That is all the cooking that is needed for the small scallops. At this point I like to toss them with a little fresh squeezed lemon juice and chopped parsley and serve over a little buttered pasta. Through a little dice tomato on top and enjoy.

This how to cook scallop method is for the large sea scallops but it will work of the smaller one as well. It is also one of the more common ways of cooking scallops.

What we are going to do is pan fry or sauté the scallops. The first thing that needs to be done is to dry the scallops off with a paper towel and sprinkle with a little sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Now depending on how many people you are cooking for you may need to cook the scallops in batches. An average serving of sea scallops is 5-6. I personal only try to only cook 5-6 to at a time so I don’t end up with over done scallops but I have done as many as fifteen.

With a medium size skillet over medium high heat add one tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. There will be a little crackling as the water evaporates form the butter it is very normal. (You need a hot pan to get that nice caramelized color on your scallops). Once the butter is melted and the crackling has settled down a little it is time to add your scallops but you can’t just dump them all in at once you need to put one in at a time.

The best way to do this and not get splash is to tilt the pan forward a little with one and with other using a pair of tongs place the scallops in one at a time.

Cook the scallops one that one side for about four minutes gently turn them with your tong and cook for no more then another minute. I normally flip the scallop grab then turn the heat off the stove and count to thirty and then I plate up the scallops.

Well I hope that I have been helpful and that you have learned a little bit on how to cook scallops.